Two Rivers: 5 Years Later
by Nispedana
Summary: Sequel to Two Rivers: Beginnings. [Fem! Gon]
1. Time x Lives x Connected

**THANK YOU FOR CLICKING THE LINK folks~! xD I'm glad to see everyone from Two Rivers here again! xD Sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoy the continuation. And I'd love to know your thoughts! So do send some feedback. ;) **

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter, nor is the name Lorcan Scamander. My Lorcan is a different person from Luna Lovegood's kid tho. ;)

**A/N: 1. **Nerys Bloodworth shall be an OC of mine, and will be Gon's main love rival. Sort of. She won't be an actual threat, I just thought it's nice to have a POV of a person in her situation.

2. Note that this is 5 years later. So I won't necessarily show the canon events in the manga, at least not _yet_. I'll just try to integrate events here with what will happen in the manga…somehow. xD

* * *

"_Perhaps the most interesting trait of the Azure wolves of Mt. Lucio, situated in the eastern side of the continent with no name, is their practice in finding mates. These wolves, like the rest of their kin, mated for life…, however, the unusual commitment they have with their partners is something that they are born to be capable of. _

"_The wolves are born during Spring, or in early Summer, and they get trained and grow for the four seasons that follow, assuming they survive their first winter—which, more often than not and attributed to their exception survival instincts, they actually do. _

"_The male wolves try and find a female to imprint on, a female that would fit with what their instincts wish. They mate, create offspring, and stay with their pack and their one mate for as long as they wish. And when one of the pair nears their death, their partners will go with them in an area the pack deems worthy. The two wolves pass together at all instances. None of the wolves will experience being widowed. _

"_On the other hand, if the males find no one, then they mate with no one, and instead spend the remainder of their lives hunting for their pack. But make no mistake: there is rarely any lack of female counterparts. This is curious for their instinctive priority is not as leaning towards reproduction as every other species. Perhaps, this is attributed to their strong physical traits or unusually long lifespan, which can reach fifty years. But of course, even the lone wolves' life spans will come to an end._

_But unlike the others, they will be destined to die alone." _

—Excerpt from _'Creatures of the Dark Continent', (unpublished) by Lorcan Scamander, Antikoba State University._

* * *

…

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: Time x Lives x Connected**

Sharp emerald eyes looked down at the three full-grown men now lifeless beneath its owner. "Too easy." The owner said coolly, her short ebony hair—that framed her striking face—flowed gracefully with the wind that was managing to wash away the putrid smell the bodies were beginning to emit.

These three had been Nen users, but all of them together were barely of match with her. Sure they got a few hits, but none of them were serious. Nerys Bloodworth wondered when she'll be asked to kill more… challenging opponents in the future.

She scoffed. Who knew? She was already 19, and yet her father was still over-protective of her—sending her to missions that were practically impossible to fail in.

She stretched her arms, her body stiff from boredom. She wasn't even warmed up with this battle. It was very annoying.

She decided to sneak around the adjacent houses, just for the heck of it. It had always been interesting to pass through supposedly state-of-the-art security systems simply because she felt like it. She had been doing so for a while, and frankly it helped with her ego.

Nerys looked around the estates and saw the one on the top most part of the hill. It would be the one with the best view, and it was probably owned by a very rich person. She went there and, as expected, passed through the security measures as if they were bare grass with a 'no stepping on the grass' sign.

She passed the lobby and headed to the offices and bedrooms, where security measures would likely be interesting enough. But then… she smelled _blood_.

"_Ehhh…" _She said to herself, interested, and closed her eyes to pin-point where the faint smell was coming from, as if she was a shark in the vast sea. She used 'In'. And hiding was something she was best at among her siblings.

And soon enough, she was nearing the source. She followed the scent that happened to be most familiar to her senses, and stopped when she heard a screeching scream.

She blinked. It wasn't that she wasn't used to screams of dying men—it was the contrary. However, there was something about the way this man yelled for his life that made her shiver.

_Pang! _

She blinked again, realizing she barely managed to dodge a direct hit on the face. She felt the sharp pain on her cheek and she almost screamed. She was not used to getting attacked while she was using 'In'. It never happened ever since she mastered it.

And the sharp point _passed through_ the thick hardwood door as if it was the most brittle paper. Which was disconcerting since the perpetrating weapon _was_ made of paper.

"I…I'm also an assassin." She said, forcing some composure back to herself, and revealed herself from behind the door. "I am not going to interfere with you."

For a moment, Nerys thought she was cool enough. But she ended up gasping the moment her eyes landed on the other assassin, the dead bodies of the owners mere backdrop to the picturesque form that he effortlessly made. The first thing she saw was his unbelievable silver hair. It was the first time she saw it and it was indescribable—_divine_, even.

She recalled a vague memory of a casual rumor of people gifted with silver hair. And she knew immediately who this person was.

_He is a Zoldyck_

And then he turned to her, slowly, and she found her breath hitching even more. He was beautiful. He had a heavenly face. He was pale, and he had a lean, yet muscular form. She was utterly, and invariably, enticed.

And yet she shivered immediately when she met his eyes. It was cold, as if it came from the deepest pits of hell. She was born in a family of killers, therefore she was not new to the look of psychopaths, but… _his_ eyes were different. One glimpse, ad it felt like they were eating her whole.

It was a feeling she never felt before in her life.

He didn't speak, but he didn't seem surprised at her statement. He looked away stoically. He could probably tell. Assassins had the same smell. But he didn't seem to want to bother even speaking to her. And after a while of enticement, she realized that he was indeed facing her…, but she realized he was looking _past_ her.

_As if she was not even worthy to be looked at_

Nerys Bloodworth was used to being doted on by men—no matter where she went—and this sort of indifference was an offense to her womanly pride.

A smirk found its way on her face the moment she realized he already disappeared and, as if by habit, she licked her lips.

Nerys Bloodsworth would make that Zoldyck fall in-love with her.

**…**

_BLOODSWORTH MANSION_

Some few hours later, Nerys arrived at her home located in the borders of Padioka. It was a highly fortified castle surrounded by deep moat, and deep dangerous forests beyond it. And soon she was with her father, a sharp-looking man in his 50s, walking under the intricate corridors of their castle, a certain face still fresh in her mind.

"Bloodworth was actually derived from an old language meaning 'enclosure'." The man said to his daughter who was, as always, attentive (or at least acted like she was). "How interesting that it has come to have a different meaning now." And smiled, musing of what they now do for a family business. "And how fitting it was."

"Yes." She said, but now the older Bloodsworth realized she was actually more…distracted than usual. "But I've been wondering… why did you call me again?"

It was then that the man sniffed and patted his daughter's head. "As a father, it wasn't very appealing for me to let you go. But I made a proposal that may surprise you."

"…okay…"

"You haven't gotten serious to any of your suitors, yes?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "None of them are interesting enough."

"Then how about I tell you I found a man that _will_ be?"

One of her eyebrows lifted in scepticism. But then he told her the boy's name and smiled awkwardly, waiting for his daughter's answer (not that she'd have a choice, but he liked giving her the illusion of one). And a second later—to his relief—she would find herself wearing a much wider grin.

The odd thing was that it was the familiar look of a predator nearing its prey.

* * *

_KILLUA_

* * *

Inside the infamous Zoldyck Estate, Killua Zoldyck stood blankly in front of a huge door he'd known too well. He passively entered his father's room, upon request, and found his grandfather and Milluki was there as well. He partly wondered what this was about. Partly. He didn't really care anymore.

These past few years he did whatever they asked him to do—killed whoever they asked him to kill, said whatever they wanted to hear, and he ignored the people that were once a part of his life as if they never existed.

"Killua." Silva said, sitting sternly on his seat. "It is time for you to find someone to wed."

His eyes widened—something they had not known how to do for many many years now.

Silva, seeing his rare expression, only shifted sitting positions. "You don't plan on letting our bloodline die, yes?"

"All your children are male, father. I doubt that."

"But it must be from _your_ bloodline. You are not born with silver hair for nothing, child."

Milluki ate his bar. "What are you planning?" He said, sarcastic. "Find a surrogate?"

Killua looked at him coldly. He was not the one to joke, but he was very… disturbed. "This family had been going against the laws of nature for several decades now." He paused, remaining stern. "I don't see why this is different."

"Killua. I am serious."

"So am I."

"You will really defy me again, Killua?"

There was a heavy silence that followed that, and for one second fleeting images of five years ago passed through his head. Yet, Killua's anger clouded his mind. He could only follow his emotions and send a strong impertinent glare towards his father. Silva was almost proud of the extremely strong presence Killua's aura created. If only he wasn't going against him, eyes full of murdering lust. Silva stared at his son and waited for him to speak. And the boy did.

"_Watch me_."

* * *

_LEORIO | KURAPIKA_

* * *

Elsewhere, in some other part of the known world, a certain group of old friends stood inside an intricately designed room. There was a small person, a beautiful young girl with unusual pink hair, and a blonde man who owned the gravest presence.

_TapTapTap_

"Ara… It's not like you to tap your pencil like that, Kurapika."

"Ah. Gomen." The blonde said and resumed to look at the books in front of him, and then to the pink-haired girl sitting beside him. "So how are you doing?"

"I'm confused." Neon mumbled and slid the book to him, and pointed the point she was confused in. Kurapika nodded and explained it to her more slowly than before. As he did so, he turned to the door when he heard a knock.

"Here's your tea." And he smiled at the person and thanked her. Neon did the same. Soon enough, Leorio joined them in the study hall to say good night.

"How is he?" Kurapika asked, referring to Light. Leorio smiled and drank his tea.

"He's doing well." He said, and casual chit-chatting begun. Senritsu smiled at the scene. It had been 5 years since they all shared a home, and so much had changed since then. Several minutes later, Leorio stretched his arms in an attempt to re-energize himself. He failed though, as he had been awake very early that day due to the call of duty. "I'll go to sleep now. Call me when you need me."

"Oyasumi."

Senritsu then walked to the adjacent table to do some of the paperwork she was assigned to do. She had been helping Kurapika keep the family's finances stable for years now, and currently the business was soaring. She prayed this time of peace lasted forever, but she and Kurapika were always ready for when their arch enemy returned.

She turned to look at the two in the nearby table and smiled lightly at what she was hearing.

Kurapika was discussing economics with Neon. They have been teaching her many things she needed to know to head the family—something that, even with Leorio's inspiring words—Neon's own father was now incapable of doing. He depended on his daughter's power too deeply.

Companionable silence passed then, but too soon, Senritsu stood up and excused herself as well, and for a moment the silence between Kurapika and Neon (at least from the latter's point of view) became an awkward one. "Kurapika…"

"Yes?"

"Uhm…" She paused, her cheeks burning more every second. "You know the work you give for my family is more than what you gain…"

"That's not true." He said. "My goal is to collect my people's eyes, I'm doing it fairly well from my position."

"I know but—" She gulped and closed her eyes. "You know we could just get married. It's a win-win situation—You get the absolute right to our assets, and I don't have to study so much like this." Neon said, albeit somewhere along the way she made it sound as if she was joking.

Kurapika looked at her.

All these years changed Neon from a spoiled girl to a woman who had experienced much. Kurapika was not dense—and he knew behind every joke hides some truth; And that truth deserved to be dealt with.

"You know I can't do that, Neon." He said, gentle but stern.

"Mou! I was joking!" She said, lightly punched his arm. "You're too serious, Kurapika!" She forced a laugh before returning to her book.

Kurapika forced a thin smile in return. "Yeah." And he pretended not to notice the small tears she held back, and wiped as inconspicuously as she could…, and he silently hoped she'd find the man for herself soon.

He knew what it felt like to have a broken heart, after all. He had been experiencing it for five years now.

**…**

"Your heart seems perturbed." Senritsu said when Kurapika joined her in the balcony some time later. He nodded, unsurprised, and actually narrowed his eyes at his small friend.

"You know what she was planning to say…"

"Yes." She said, almost chuckling. "You know how she feels about you, Kurapika. It's only a matter of time."

"There is no need to encourage her." He corrected, and looked at the view. "It makes things unnecessarily complicated. I will never look at her romantically."

"But I don't want her to regret not saying anything at all." Senritsu reasoned gently and touched his arm. He turned his head to look at her. "You, of all people, know how that feels, yes?"

His eyes widened and he looked away again, involuntarily gripping the balcony's railing. "It… has been a while since we heard from them."

"Five years." Someone else decided to point out, and they turned to the new voice.

"Leorio."

"Yo." He said and rested his arm to the balcony and lounged around as well.

The balcony was right above the steepest part of the mountain and it had an exquisite view of the surrounding nature. And it was where the three of them thought best. And due time, it became their haven—where they would often find the comfort of the company of another one. And in some cases, they all find themselves in this very place.

"I couldn't sleep." He said and looked at whatever his eyes ended up on. "I had been wondering the same thing, you know, especially when it was precisely 5 years since I passed the Medical Exam."

It was the same day, then, that they last heard from Gon.

"It wasn't like Gon to cut contact with us like that." Kurapika said. "She seemed so excited about our reunion, too."

"But Mito said she had been receiving letters from Gon every few months right?" Senritsu said, sensing the increased anxiety within her friends' hearts.

The two nodded. They had been constantly keeping in contact with Mito, to ease their incessant worries. The woman said Gon had been contacting her—that she was with Ging.

"I guess it's fine…" Leorio said, scratching his head, and decided—as much as he could—to just be happy for Gon, to finally achieve the goal she had been vying for.

"I bet Killua had a handful from his soon-to-be father-in-law, eh?" Leorio, being the supposed source of comic relief, intervened to ease the tension. "And considering they met him at the age of raging hormones—" He paused when he turned to Kurapika, who wore a poker face, but it was nevertheless a dark one.

Leorio mentally punched himself in the gut. How could he_ forget_ how he felt? Because it had been a while since they talked about Gon. Leorio, perhaps, unconsciously thought he'd gotten over her by now. "…sorry."

Kurapika blinked and stared, obviously not realizing he had been transparent—even to Leorio. An uncharacteristic shade of red adorned his face, and he cleared his throat to compose himself.

"It's nothing." He said, and looked at the stars that were especially bright that night. "I just hope they are alright."

* * *

_GON_

* * *

In yet another part of the world, beyond the Great Lake, and in a side of the world wherein the sun was still up, the shrill sound of whistle echoed through the deep dense woods.

_Hooooot_

And then it stopped, and silence replaced the sound for a few seconds, before a flying figure was slowly become visible across the cloud-filled sky. It was heading towards to people on the peak of a tall hill amongst a field of made of them.

The wind was strong, especially at the apex, but the two figures' sternness were notable, and the bird had no doubt they were his Masters.

It was an eagle—and it appeared like a normal one with its auburn and white feathers and golden beak. The difference was that its intelligence thrice the normal, and its strength analogous to that of an ant: the strength to kill something many times its size. It was a breed that did not exist in its masters' home continent. He was a birthday gift by his owners' old friend.

"Hello, Momo." One of his humans, the young girl—_Gon—_smiled.

"_Keaaahh_!" The bird answered and Gon smiled, placing her hand in her pocket and lifted it up. It was a sheet of papyrus-like paper rolled laterally.

"You see this?" She said gently, and the bird passively looked at the paper. "I want you to take this to Mito-san."

The bird made a sound of assent and Gon carefully placed the letter on a small backpack designed especially for a messenger eagle. She abruptly moved her hand to signal the bird it's time to go, and it followed wilfully.

"Be careful!" She yelled, and once more, the eagle answered.

The figure behind her, on the other hand, sighed in disapproval. "You sure are loud." He said as they both watched the bird disappear from their views. But then, as if on cue, the earth rumbled. Gon blinked and steadied her legs, visibly remaining unsurprised. They had been expecting this.

"At least we get to finish the mission earlier, right?" She smiled and Ging shrugged. They both filched slightly when the ground below then started to move even more harshly, and then not a moment later—the rest of the nearby hills did the same. The ground started rising, and the soil crumbling down as if it was cracking cheese.

And soon enough they found themselves surrounded by half-a-dozen 10-meter tall silver moles. Giant silver moles that, considering the well-controlled aura surrounding them, happened to have the ability to use 'Nen'.

The two simultaneously let go of their In and positioned for a fight. Gon took something from her pocket, released a small stick—which, after pressing its mechanism, extended to 5 feet in length. She caught it effortlessly, and waved it until it found equilibrium.

"Ready, kid?"

Gon nodded. "Hai!"

And they went in for the attack.

* * *

_MITO_

* * *

"What a beautiful day~" A beautiful woman sung as she hung her laundry, a day after the events with the silver moles on another side of the world. The breeze was especially nice in Whale Island that day, so her hums were particularly energetic as well.

It was then when she heard a vague call of a bird and she whipped her head to its direction. She narrowed her eyes to see and she was right—it was Momo, and her eyes widened in anticipation.

Her face lightened up even more as she read the letter, and she was beaming afterwards. And as if sensing her glee, the door opened, revealing her mother. Mito went to embrace her the moment she saw her, and rapidly told her the news.

The old woman only laughed and patted her daughter's back. "My—that's great news!" She said, exclaiming in the standards of her 80-year-old self. The woman patted her daughter's cheek and smiled. "I have another good news for you,

"_He _just arrived." She said, "He's in the bar."

Mito's face was adorned with a beautiful shade of red and, after kissing her mother's cheek, hurried to where her lover was.

She quickly opened the door and saw his familiar pale face. He stood up at her presence and, he too, received an enthusiastic embrace from Mito.

"Well, you seem happier than usual." He said, with his trademark monotone voice, but Mito had been used to sensing the little bits of emotion in his speech. "Would you tell me why?"

"Gon's coming back in 4 months!" She announced, positively beaming. However, when his reaction was no more than his usual expression—as if he didn't hear anything—Mito's expression turned into a puzzled one. "Illumi?"

"…I see." He said and leaned down to kiss her cheek. It was long, and chaste, but Mito sensed it was… cold. However, Illumi washed away the worries with one of his rare smiles.

"Well then," He said and let his forehead touch hers, and Mito was too love-struck to notice the darkness her lover had been entertaining. She only saw his smile. "We better get ready for her arrival."

**.  
.**

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

_**Coming Soon  
**_**CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 2: Dark x Continent x Dreams**

* * *

**…**

* * *

**Thank you for reading! **

I hope you enjoyed the pilot, but whatever you thought,  
do let me know your thoughts!  
You all know by now that I see your feedback as the best reward for my hard work. ;)


	2. Dark x Continent x Dreams

**You guys are so awesome! Thank you so much for being so supportive of me. I planned to give this two weeks before I update but yeah… I got overtly motivated. xD So, once again, thank you for the support! And did I mention I missed you all? **

**In any case, I hope you enjoy~ **

**Warning!  
**1. Purely Gon/Ging POVs. Killua and the others will probably appear next chap. ;)  
**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

...

* * *

"_The Eastern Sky Dragons, fabled for their beauty and grace, is rumoured to live somewhere in the vast mountains of Lubbo, an area no human has gone before. They are said to have long bodies, similar to the serpent-like sea dragons, but have been given translucent glass-like skins… and wings so they swim in the clouds rather than in water like their cousins. _

_There are, so far, no records of a living person who has seen any of these majestic creatures exist, and the knowledge, perhaps untrue, are only orations passed from generation to generation, turning into legends after a few hundred years of hiding. _

_One of the recurring features of the dragon, as heard in the tales, is their loyalties to their group, their friends, and their families. A popular story, titled 'Finding Guamos' or sometimes called 'The Tale of the missing lover', revolves around a female dragon, a princess of their aerie, who lost her friend when a battalion of men came near the mountains to hunt them. Her friend has happened to be exploring the area's periphery and is said to be caught by this large group of men. _

_The stories say that the male dragon is killed, butchered, parts sold for billions of zennies each. No one knows if the female dragon has known of this savagery. Regardless, she never came back to her group. _

_People say that up until now, hundreds of years later, she is still looking for her friend."_

—Excerpt from _"Creatures of the Dark Continent", (unpublished) by Lorcan Scamander, Antikoba State University_

**…**

**CHAPTER 2: Dark x Continent x Dreams**

"_Gon…"_

Gon shivered at the syllable and she turned to wherever the voice came from. But she couldn't see anything—she was surrounded by blackness. Normally, she would be scared as she could usually see well in the dark, and yet…she realized that this one voice easily washed away the fears as quickly as they came.

"_Gon…"_

She turned around again to a different direction, trying to find where it came from. She walked on the dark plains, not caring what she might step on, and she extended her hand—hoping to at least feel the person calling for her so… so _longingly_.

"_Gon." _

She stopped her steps. It was right in front of her, the voice's source—she just _knew _it—and she held her hand to touch this person. As she did so, however, she realized…

That there was nothing.

**…**

Her eyes opened abruptly, and the first thing she saw was the ceiling. Gon blankly stared at it for a while, trying to absorb her dream, and realized her hand was extended, as if it wanted to touch the ceiling. The moment she put her hand down, she noticed her sights was blurred.

Gon absent-mindedly raised her hand to touch her eyes, and they widened when she realized she was crying, and she didn't even notice. She sniffed and sat up, her long legs touching the wooden flooring, and wiped her mysterious tears away. It wasn't like it was the first time she had such a dream, but it never failed to feel like it was anyway.

Fortunately, someone knocked the door, effectively distracting her from the thoughts…, at least for the moment. "Oiii, Goooonnn!"

It was Ging."Yes?" She asked, containing the strain in her voice.

"What are you still sleeping for? Let's eat breakfast already!"

"Ah." She said standing up, and wiped the final tears away. "Order me the usual." She said, and ran to the bathroom to get ready. Afterwards she chose one of her usual sets of clothing and arranged herself in front of the room's full-sized mirror.

Time had been good on Antigone. Her hair was now long and flowing, her skin smooth and fair—something very interesting with the amount of travel they had done—and she had lost the baby fat and her body developed curves at the right places. Her facial features even, were notably striking, and Ging muttered about her looking a lot like her mother—so she should get a portrait done and use it as a photo for a missing persons photo just for the heck of it.

Speaking of Ging, he was probably really agitated at the time since she was taking quite some time. She couldn't help it—her mind kept wondering about her odd dreams. And those dreams actually got _stronger_ as time passed by. It disconcerted her deeply.

"Took you long enough." Ging muttered as he finally took a bite of his feet-long sandwich. Gon blinked.

"Why are you in a rush anyway?"

"_Because_ (finally) the Millennium Sea Dragon is soon due North. It looks like it's heading here as we speak."

"EHH?!" She yelled, forgetting the calls of her stomach, and pulled her father to the sea.

It was time for dragon fishing.

**…**

The father-daughter pair firmly stood above a cliff beautifully framed by raging waters a hundred meters below, feeling the strong gust of wind, warmed by the rays of the high sun hitting their skins. They narrowed their eyes then and again, ever so alert of the arrival of their target.

But as she watched the sea with her father, Gon's mind started to fly like it always did, _way_ more often than she remembered. She recalled a similar landform, albeit of gentler slope. She used it to catch a ship that had already left the docks. It was before the Hunter Exam, and she was with Leorio.

She blinked at the last thought. _Leorio…?_

Her eyebrows furrowed at something very puzzling. Leorio was a good friend—it was something that she knew and understood as if it was her own name.

So how come he only came to her mind _now_—for the first time, in _years_?

"Oi, Gon!" A yell beside her, which faded as quickly as it came, pulled her out of her trance. She flinched and saw Ging already jumping below. She reflexively went to follow him. They let their feet strive on the side of the steep land, their weight increasing their speed. Soon they neared the waters and with one swift kick, and used the momentum they collected as they ran to throw themselves far into the sea.

As they flew, Gon caught the almost imperceptible shadow of their target. It didn't take her long to figure out that it was the size of a small island. She gulped, but only a part of it her nerves. She was actually really really _really_ excited. And of course, like father, like daughter…, wherein the father also had an excited grin pasted all over his face. "Shall we?"

She beamed back. "Hai!"

They took in as much air as they could and plunged into the water, using nen to help them accelerate even more. They landed on the creature's slippery scales, and they almost slipped off—anyone would the moment they stepped on its slippery surface—but the two managed to hold on.

Ging motioned for Gon to move to his spot, a few meters away, and considering how strong the current was, given the creature's size—the task was nowhere near 'easy'. But nevertheless, Gon managed by instinctively predicting the creature's motions, and using the current to get to her destination.

They silently held on to one of its thousands of scales. One scale was all they needed—the scale that could save hundreds of lives in the village they currently stayed. Or so they hoped. Too much of these stories weren't really proven yet, but the villagers will willing to try, and so were they. After all, considering they've stayed for almost four months in the place—something highly unusual—they figured they were very much attached to it, and its people, making this mission a lot personal than the others.

Simultaneously, they focused more nen on one of their feet, facing each other, and sandwiching the scale between them, and then kicked its connection with the muscle underneath. They felt it loosening but then not even a millisecond later, time slowed down further—almost stopping, and they felt a soundless heart beat.

They looked at each other and quickly braced themselves for the creature's twitch.

And that 'twitch', remember, was by a creature the size of an island.

**…**

On a deck of a small fishing boat, a few people watched the horizon, finally noticing a large creature disrupting its clean line. They all gulped nervously, knowing well who were probably with the monster. The most nervous of them all however, were the youngest ones, both eighteen years of age. As they watched the scene as it unfolded in front of them, they felt their hearts bounded on their throats. They did not realize they weren't breathing.

With one swift movement, they felt strong waves originating from the spot, and it was still strong when it reached their spot—enough to get them out of balance. "Waa—"The youngest, a girl with bright but pragmatically short ginger hair, exclaimed and stood up as quickly as she could to the railing. Her long-haired bespectacled brother, born with similar features, never fell and held on to the railing as firmly as he could.

"What was that?!"

"A-Are they alright?"

The boy looked at his younger sister and patted her head. "Of course they are."

The girl narrowed her eyes, maintaining her hard façade, yet worry was written all over her face (her brother could see too clearly). "Did you see how _large_ it was?!" She paused. "We never should have asked them to do this."

"Saa…, Lilica." Lorcan smiled, trying to appear as reassuring as he could, but the gods knew he felt otherwise. "They're the strongest people we met. Have more faith."

It was then that they heard thumping from below the deck, and everyone flinched, feeling terrified of what monster might climb up to their deck. Some of the men were already out with their spears, ready to fight, and pretty much shoving the teenagers to the back. Lorcan understood their protectiveness, even when he could well defend himself, but his stubborn sister crossed her arms in annoyance. She did not like being protected, and she pretty much squeezed herself to the front lines: ready to fight.

"Whoa there, men. And girl." A voice from below muttered in amusement and soon climbed (or rather jumped) up and stood at the railing Lorcan was holding a mere few seconds prior. He was drenched to the toe but that trademark smirk of his was there. Soon enough, to Lorcan's relief, Gon followed.

She was holding the scale. And everyone's faces immediately lightened up beyond description.

_They did it!_

**…**

A few hours later, after crossing mountains, they entered a valley that protected the small town—the only one within dozens of miles. "Open the gates!" A man with them ordered as they stood in front of a thick wooden door at least six meters in height, serving as one of the only four passageways embedded within a wall at least five times its size. Slowly, it creaked open, and the group motioned to move.

Quite a number of people came to greet them, but some were too used to them that they kept on doing what they were, and simply smiling at the sight of the group. Many of the soldiers stopped sparring to see them, the garrison folks were all staring, the nearby passer-bys stopped and came closer, and most of the children within half of the small city's premises were certainly no exception.

Gon saw a few of the people who kept doing what they were after acknowledging their presences with a smile. To her right, the small shops lined up under homes continued to sell, occasionally eyeing them in interest. To her right, were similar shops and there were Jewellery vendors transforming water into crystals, to be sold in the streets they were traversing.

And from the corner of her eyes, she saw a number of children using all the nen they could to lift themselves a meter high—only to get to see them beyond the blastedly tall wall made by the crowd.

But everyone of those people marvelled at the scale—it was as large as a toddler, (according to legends, which was, in fact, accurate) and as heavy as three grown men—resting within Gon's arms. Murmurs of excitement about it replaced the one caused by their arrivals. Lorcan chuckled quietly as he stared at Gon and then to her admiring fans.

He was holding his pieces of paper bound by durable Joununji Spider thread (something he always had), and Gon took a peek of what he was doing as they travelled. Lorcan, it seemed, was drawing the scale as he walked by her, scribbling down notes (taken from her answers to his seemingly random questions) at the speed she could follow only because she had sharp eyes.

In any case, the party walked with much celebration all the way to the clinic in the edge of the town, relatively isolated for safety.

It was a humble building, no larger than the average houses, and no wider than a normal field for rice. It was not maintained for quite some time, because of the low budget and the business caused by the epidemic, brought to the walled town by the group of Silver Moles that settled nearby their water source some weeks prior.

The group, minus the children, remained outside, knowing the crowd of sick people that needed space within. They were very hopeful, however, especially for their own loved ones infected by the disease. An old woman, and her assistants, wearing light-colored robes and hair ties, greeted them with beaming smiles.

"It wasn't easy to lure those Silver Moles to a good spot that is far from humans—but you two pulled it off like eating breakfast." One of the assistants, the most talkative one, said. "And now you got the best cure there is!"

The old woman laughed and placed her hand over Gon's, who was holding the scale, and looked at her and Ging alternatively. "This town cannot thank you enough."

The two smiled and placed the legendary cure at a sturdy table, making a thud considering its weight, and without much word, the healers went to their laboratory to make what they needed to create.

The five of them walked to the infected rooms, knowing the virus could not be transmitted by air, and only by drinking ample amount of the infected water. There were pale and crippling people everywhere. There weren't enough beds, so majority lied on the floor. They carefully manoeuvred themselves to avoid stepping on any, until they reached one patient in the corner of the room, and was lucky enough to get a bed.

"Mother…" The two ginger-haired teens whispered simultaneously, and the woman weakly opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hello, kids." She said and raised her hand to touch the child closest to her, which happened to be her youngest. "How's your day?"

Lilica smiled happily and Lorcan patted her back, satisfied with just watching his family. "It had been an exciting day, mother! And guess what?" She paused for effect. "We got the scale!" She blinked and then looked at Gon. "Well, Gon and Ging did, but you know what I mean."

She looked at the two people whom she let stay in her house when they arrived. They smiled and gave her their greetings. She smiled back. It was weak, but it was genuine, and she tried to show the amusement she felt. "Did they now?"

"Uh-huh." Lilica said. "We'll all be dining together again soon."

"Hmn." The woman smiled again, but her eyes were fluttering again. Lorcan caught this and tapped his sister's back.

"Mother's tired." He said, knowing how much energy this sickness took. "She needs to get some rest."

Behind them, Gon wondered what was going on in Lorcan's head. He, after all, had spent years in the university far away from there. He came back to find his mother dying.

"…yeah." And they left the room, and waited for the medicine to be completed.

As they waited however, the naturally gregarious Lilica looked at Gon. And she was desperately trying to look for a distraction. "Gon? Is it really dangerous where you came?" Lilica asked. "In the remote shores of the continent?"

The red head was curious. After all, even in a continent where the majority of the small population of humans could use Nen—and in a place where Humans were in the _lower_ half of the food chain—these two had always been exceptionally strong. Humans learned Nen to escape extinction in the continent, so Lilica thought that the place these two came from must have been extremely perilous.

"Sort of." Ging shrugged and met Gon's eyes, who were faltering. She was never good at lying, but their origins were something they had to keep. The ban of expeditions to the Dark Continent 200 years ago was, after all, created for a reason, and they need to keep what happened 200 years ago from happening again—an Invasion. They had to keep the few people of the Dark Continent unaware of the existence of their world just as most of the people of their world were of this one. At least this area, since the Dark Continent was already reached years prior.

And just as much as they want to let them know of the safer places to live… they could too easily bring back what explorers from their world brought 200 years prior. There were too many scenarios that would end in 99% of humans dying. The fact that these people were descendants to humans of the known world was immaterial. It had been so long, and humans were attacked too often, that that part of their histories had already been lost. And interestingly? The humans of the dark continent were living in the farthest end of the world—the part where the Hunter association, among others, had yet to explore, even after years of finally stepping into the continent once more.

"It was home."

Ging looked at his daughter who said the statement as if it was the most known fact in the world. She probably missed it a lot. She grew a lot these past five years, especially with all these strong monsters surrounding them. They met quite a few strong true humans (he didn't want to start the discussions of humanoids), too, once they reached the farther end of the continent, but the two of them grew significantly these past years—and they somehow became one of the most powerful wherever they went.

There was a pause, and as always, it was the insightful Lilica who broke it. "You're going back…, soon… aren't you?" She said, guessing, but hoping she was wrong. But she was not that lucky.

"Yeah. I promised I'll be staying there for almost two months." Gon smiled, and patted the younger girl's head when her eyes widened with sadness. "And then I'll return after winter."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"You realize we'll be crossing the Red Line soon after, right?" Ging nonchalantly intervened, causing the siblings to gasp at the mention of the cursed river, a water form located at the farther end of the continent—directly opposite to their home continent (go figure). It traversed the northern part of the continent creating an odd shaped island beyond it. It was known as the country of Antikoba, and that was when Ging found out why Agatha named one of Greed Island's cities that way.

"EH?" They said, and Lorcan, who was (despite the obvious terror in his eyes) the only one coherent enough, grabbed Gon's shoulder. "You know there are deadly monsters in that place! And those _currents_, and whirlpools—!" He couldn't even finish saying them.

"We'll be going by air."

"_Tornadoes_!"

"Not in early Spring, there won't." Gon said reassuredly. "That's why we will go as soon as winter ends." She said and looked at Ging. "We came travelling to look for my mother. We're finally closing in, after five years."

Lorcan huffed a sigh, and Lilica seemed to have calmed her shivers. Lorcan looked at his sister, who stared back, eyes full of anxiety… and understanding. Lilica was not surprised by what Lorcan said after that.

"I'm coming with you."

"Eh?" Gon blinked. "No need for that."

"You realize you'll be a deadweight, _Boy?" _By this time, Ging's expression was unreadable.

"I'm the strongest nen user in this town!"

"You're still too weak."

It was Gon who calmed them by touching Lorcan's hand, much to Ging's distaste (especially with that freaking blush on the boy's face). "You are the strongest—there is no doubt." Lorcan gulped and his face turned even redder. Ging's eyes twitched. "But that is precisely why you need to be _here_, with your family—to protect them."

"But—"

Lilica sighed at Gon's obliviousness, but before she could come to her brother's aid, the head healer got out of the room they went into earlier. Her worry for her brother immediately turned to glee for her mother. "Is it done, grandma?"

"We've made quite a few." The old woman said. "But it seems that the dragon scale was a stronger ingredient than we thought, and the recipe needs a little more tweaking." She said professionally and handed the girl a piece of paper. "Lilica, can you get these ingredients?"

"Sure, Gran!"

"Let me come with you."

Lorcan flinched. "Me too."

Gon smiled, and Lilica shook her head. Lorcan could not deal with this, the poor guy, it was always up to Lilica when it came to the matters of the heart. "You should stay with mother." She said as she extended her hand, silently placing a barrier between him and Gon. "Give us girls some space!"

And everyone else blinked. What was she talking about? It must be a teenage thing, they thought.

**…**

Gon and Lilica walked past the shops there, seeing quite a few reinforcement users use their nen to carry weight twice their sizes. It was then they passed by a couple holding hands as they chose which bread to buy. Lilica gingerly turned her head to Gon, let some air between them pass, before finally going for the question.

"Have you ever fallen in love before, Gon?"

Gon stared at her, wondering where the question came from. "No." She said, but realized she was a lot more puzzled at the sudden plucking of heartstrings in her chest. "Not that I know of, anyway."

"So that's never then." Lilica smirked, thinking her brother. "Isn't that great? He could be the first one."

"Who?"

Lilica looked away, but she could not help but cackle. And Gon could only tilt her head in puzzlement.

**…**

_Have you ever been in love?_

Gon furrowed her head at the fact that that question had been ringing in her ears for a while, even as she watched the healers take care of with the sick.

She thought of Leorio, which lead to Kurapika, and then led to clearer memories of the Hunter Exam and she was puzzled all over again. How could she forget so many people for years? She knew she was slow in the intellectual department but this was making her feel so, so, much _worse_.

But then she was rummaging her brain for who else she forgot, she remembered more, and she kept rummaging and rummaging until she couldn't remember anyone else. She kept trying to _look_ because there was that deep-cut feeling that there was still something—_someone—_was missing.

But the harder she tried, the more her head _and_ her chest hurt. And when it got too strong, she had no choice but to give up.

She felt as if it was the worse choice she ever made.

Instead, she decided to focus on the dragons are entering torpor—_hibernation_, and the fact that they had to wait for the lake to freeze, hence the six weeks of waiting that allowed her to visit her aunt. If seasons worked the same in this massive land mass, she would've had three months. But who was she to complain?

So she didn't and visualized Mito and her grandma greeting her as she ran to them instead. For the moment, the sad plucking of her heart strings was mitigated. She had always wanted to celebrate her birthday with Mito. It had been too long.

And maybe—just _maybe—_she'd be able to find the answer to her dreams _there: _Back Home.

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 3: Zoldycks X Family X Struggle**

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...

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS  
**_[for those who doesn't know, you can type your review name after clicking __**CTRL+F**__ so you can easily spot my reply ;) ] _  
Thanks again for the support guys! *bows*

! Also, tell me if you prefer being replied to via PM. And I will.

**YZ - **I'm happy for the sequel too! I'm super glad you felt the same way. And no worries~ Since the DC arc is still beginning, there isn't much to spoil. xD And thx for reviewing!

**KG-Ai – **Hahah yeah. The woes of being assassins, falling in love with someone after killing sprees. And yep~ I planned this before I found out Kura's joining the Twelve but I ended up letting the four be together anyway. And lol. *shakes you strongly* Wake up love! Here's the next chap. xD And thx for the review~

**LittleChomper - **I'm giving a sort of vague answer for your question in this chapter. Did you see it? XD And yep~ Illumi wants info. I'll dwell on that in a few chaps, and thank you for reviewing! :D

**Charlotte Hevelesca -** Here's the second chappie! Hope it's good enough. xD And I know right? Illumi's weird. I suggest you look up some Illumi fanarts! _Those_ make him super attractive. And OMG yay! I'm glad I get to hear from you every chapter. I'm looking forward to them, and thx for the review. xD

**Amv - **hahah N'aw. Don't worry. I'm fairly sure (so far, anyway) that the good ol' love triangle will be a lot less.. angsty than most of you expect. *wink* and thx for the comment btw~

**XxHunterxX -** Thank you for reviewing! I'm happy to know you found the first chap amazing and here's the second one that also hopes it will be nice enough to read. Hahaha

**Yuki Candy Heart - **hahah. Out of curiosity, is there anything you expect out of Nerys? And lol I understand. Illumi's a weird guy. I suggest you look at fanarts of him tho! He's actually kinda hot. /kill me. And of course, thx for the review! xD

**BoomBANGBam - **Thank you for the review! xDD And yay! Glad to know you found the twists interesting and *cheers* We call them the Guardian Pair, y'know? Cuz' they're guardians lol

**drawingRAMPAGE - **ahaha. Glad you didn't mind the IllumiMito thing! I'll be dwelling on them a little later tho. Oh and I chose an OC because I wanted to show a POV of someone in that position. And I'm so happy you liked the pilot chap. Thanks for the review~xD

**some random girl - **Yay! Glad that you don't mind Nerys' existence and the fact that I chose the Guardian Pair as a minor pair *brofist* They'll meet in a few chaps, and thank you for reviewing~! :D

**denizen of the night - **My heart bleeds for Killua as well. And hahah—IKR. I like how you say it tho '…assassin wooing Killua' hahahah. And I understand. Illumi's just weirdly asexual like that. Perhaps a few fanarts from Pixiv and Tumblr could help? xD Oh and thanks for the review! :D

**TECKK - **Glad you liked the chapter! And I'm also glad to know that I surprised you with the MitoxIllumi thing. Hahahha. Oh, and of course—thank you for reviewing! :D

**Digilover23 - **You and me both. xD I was super elated when I clicked that upload button, like, GAH. Hahaha. Thank you for commenting by the way~! xD

**Kh07gl -** Hahaha you're not alone! Along with other readers, I was surprised when it popped out. We now call the pair 'Guardian Pair' cuz y'know. xDD And I'm glad you liked my stories, and the pair, and thank you so much for reviewing!

**Kazumi Rin - **Yeah. I'm sure I'll get assassinated if I kill Gon again. Hahaha. I won't say any more about the Guardian Pair tho cuz' I don't wanna spoil. And you're correct with the Gon instinct thing. I hope I can give it justice in chapter…er… 4? Or 5? Depends. xD And let us wait and see how Nerys' character will affect the story line (not 100% clear on that myself. Lol. But worry not—she will not be paired to any of the Main 4. ;)) And of course, thank you for reviewing! :D

**SucreTeen123 -** hahaha Glad I surprised you then! xD Unfortunately, Gon and Killua won't be meeting this particular chapter /shoots myself. I hope this is still a nice chap to read tho, and thx for the review~!

**Slytherin Studios -** Thank you for reviewing my friend! I'm glad you found the chapter nice and here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy~

**Star - **Thank you for reviewing and super glad to know you found the chap awesome. About Nerys tho, I can't say anything but trust in True Love. Hehehehe

**Mystic - **Many twists eh? I have plans, but they're not that many and only a few major ones. xD Don't expect too much! I might disappoint you. xDD In any case—thank you so much for the review!

**Grapes - **Thank you for the review! So glad to know you found the sequel amazing so far and I shall do my best to keep it up. xD

**Pitou77 - **hahaha I presume you mean the Guardian Pair as the minor pair? Well then, Glad you liked it! xDD And thank you for commenting~

**Starlovers - **Hahaha yes I diiiidd! *cheers* And 2am? Impressive. I fall asleep hours before that (unless we have school work). And I hope this chapter answers your worries about Gon being oblivious and all. xD And yay! *brofist* You know it's rare to find a fellow Guardian Pair shipper around. And of course—thx for the review~

**Sweet Candy180 -** First off glad you liked my previous works! And I agree—KuraGon is cute, but KilluGon is cuter! What's there to choose? XDD And LOL you scream when you have your period? I wish I was there. xD And thanks for the review!

**Jonica77 -** Thank you for reviewing! I'm happy to know the story made your heart react and that you were able to put yourself in Gon's shoes. :D And yay! Glad you found the Guardian pair interesting enough. I'll explain them in future chappies. ;) Thanks for the reviews~

**Retz - **Ahahaha that seems like an interesting story! I bet it'll be a nice read. Oh, and don't Nope! Perhaps looking for Illumi fanarts on Google may help with the IllumiMito images? Hahaha. And of course—thank you so much for reviewing! XD

**Soul - **Thank you for reviewing! Glad to know you found the chapter awesome, and I hope this one doesn't disappoint. *cheers* and enjoy~!

**Waitingforagame **- hehehe yeah! Not a hundred percent sure how far she'd go (I'd like to minimize the angst) but I hope it'll be interesting! Thx for the comment~

**DBZ **- I'm killing you? I sure do hope I don't succeed. xDD Don't worry! I'll explain the whole Guardian Pair thing in a few chapters. ;) Thx for the comment btw!

**Chani **- And thank _you_ for reviewing! You'll see Killua soon again, but the yinyang pair fluff will have to wait a few chapters (I'msosorry! xDD)

**Mytiaaa **- hehehe *blushes* Glad you still like the job I did~ And Killua and Gon will meet soon. Just not in this chapter… or the next. Hope that's fine! And thank you for reviewing! :D

**Kyouno-aru - **LOL indeed! I changed so much because I couldn't handle so many people dead. That also meant Meriam and Komugi never met tho *sobs*. Anyway, glad you liked the chap and thx for reviewing~

**Yorumi1 - **hahaha I love you too Yorumi-san! xDD Super glad to know you reacted that way the whole time. XD Means a lot to me, and thank you for reviewing~! :DD

**Ot4Ku-Girl24 – **Awww~ And I love you too! I'm happy to know you also loved my stories and the twists. xDD Love Pentagon eh? Hahaha Interesting. I wonder if we can do a star inside. Hehehe. I'll dwell on that further into the story! The whole Guardian (IlluMito) pair as well. xD Oh, Hisoka's appearance won't be happening any time soon, but it will! I think. In any case, thank you so much for reviewing! :D

**Phoenix-Thunder-** Thank you for the review! And IKR, I'm super happy I got so far. Even our friendship got far, ne? And*cackles* Glad you didn't hate Nerys. Oh! I'll dwell on the events from the previous years along the story (esp since the canon events are still starting) so I'll show some Guardian Pair, Eye Pair, among others in sort of flashbacks. ;)

**Thoroughly Misguided- **Depends on how you define 'soon'. If a few chapters is soon then YES, they will meet soon. xD And oh! Thank you for reviewing, my friend~! :D

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**…**

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Thanks for reading folks!

Hope you enjoyed but, as always, whatever you thought  
I would _love_ to know them all!


	3. Zoldycks X Family X Struggle

Nerys is here again! Haha. And again, pretty much to function as a cool slightly-with-depth admiring fangirl. But the good news is this will be **the **_**final**_** fully dark/angsty chapter in a while **(wohoo!)**.** Next ones will be more light-hearted (maybe even pinches of humor here and there).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please don't forget to leave me some feedback. ;D AND **HAPPY BIRTHDAY KILLUAAA! :D**

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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…

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**CHAPTER 3: Zoldycks X Family X Struggle **

MAIN HOUSE, ZOLDYCK ESTATE

It had been a week since her fateful meeting with the very… enigmatic Killua Zoldyck, and a day and a half since she arrived at his huge estate. She had been treated graciously by the servants (which was probably how they treated any guest, which led to the fact that Nerys—knowing she was a _special_ guest—demanded a few things like a different wallpaper for her room, specific flowers that grow on the other side of the world, and other simple items. They didn't seem bothered anyway).

Still, she had been wholly ignored by her fiancé.

Everyone said he was busy, which was probably true, but she assumed the jobs could have waited. They were properly introduced (Nerys buried the recurring memory of his glare) and that was pretty much the last time they were in the same room for more than 10 seconds.

She frowned, sighed, and crossed her arms as she relaxed on her room's balcony, waiting for her precious flowers which interestingly arrived no more than 3 seconds later. It was the copper-skinned woman that was assigned to be her personal servant during her stay: Canary. She happened to hear she used to be the guard somewhere at the feet of the mountains, she moved in for a new job as a servant. Nerys didn't really care, but she was slightly curious as to what would make a person go for a voluntary demotion.

"Serve me some tea will you, Canary." She said and sat on the metal chain next to the circular table on her balcony. "Make that two." She said looking down at the woods below her. "I want to have a chat with someone."

Canary obliged and as she delivered the tea, looked down below as well. It was Killua-sama and Alluka-sama, strolling around and talking. Killua-sama's face was visibly softer than usual. It was still harsh and cold as it was since his return five years prior, but definitely warmer, and Canary was happy that there was still that warmth in her master left and she dare not hope for more.

"His brother, Alluka. I heard a lot about him." Nerys-sama said, sounding nonchalant. "Amazing things. But let's go to his relationship with my fiancé." A pause. "Alluka, it seems, is his favourite sibling. You'd assume he'd smile."

"He is. He's much harsher to anyone else." Canary said almost immediately. "But it's true that the change isn't that much—even Alluka-sama was not enough to give him the life his eyes had once."

There was a pondering silence that followed, and Nerys-sama almost scoffed after. "It's hard to imagine him like that." But then Nerys turned incredulously at Canary at a realization. "You've_ seen_ him?"

The girl's expression softened considerably as she nodded. Nerys bet it was because she remembered what her fiance was like before. Nerys paused sipping her tea and stared at the other girl deeply, her eyes slightly narrowing at her lady-in-waiting. "Are you in love with him?"

Canary blushed lightly, almost smiling, but in the end shook her head. "I love Killua-sama, as I do Kalluto-sama, and Alluka-sama. I am sure it is not the same sort you are thinking, however."

"That's good. I don't want you seeing me as a rival and all." She said, thinking 'good for you', and smiled that sweet smile of hers. "In any case, I know you've served the family for a while and—seeing your…affections...I'm guessing you know quite a bit about my fiancé." She paused, sly smile unfading. "You know as his future wife, I ought to know more."

Canary didn't speak for a few seconds and only stared. Nerys did not falter. She was not the type to. "Whatever he's been through—what if I can help ease his pain?"

Canary's eyes widened slightly, frozen, before finally sighing and speaking her thoughts. (She vaguely thought how long it had been since she thought of the past openly). Still, the proposal Nerys presented—as unlikely as it was to ever happen—was still a tempting one. "Killua-sama was happy with his friends."

"He had friends?" Nerys asked and to her annoyance, the surprise and disbelief oozed off her tone. Friends and happy are two words that she would not have associated with Killua Zoldyck.

"Yes, Ms. Nerys, he had." Canary responded in that professional tone of hers. "I'm afraid being apart from them had made him who he is now." She paused, and whispered: "They were very important to him."

"How so?"

Canary let a second of consideration for herself. "I can tell that he—" She paused, allowing herself a opportunity to stop, but the temptation of seeing her master happy again was stronger. "He was willing to give his life to them." _Perhaps that is what happened now,_she added, but she dared not go ahead of herself and say so out loud_._

Nerys was frozen at that, and perhaps the other girl took it as time to leave. The bronze-skinned woman excused herself, leaving a very disbelieving Nerys behind.

…

Killua and his brother were walking across the estate when Gotoh appeared behind them and told him he was being called in the Master's room. He looked at Alluka, who only smiled and told him he'll be alright and he should go before father got mad.

Killua soon reached the iconic door that, even after all those years and so many inches of growth, still seemed gigantic in his eyes. He pushed the twin doors and there he was—as always—In his dark room, lighted only by four torches holding blue flame, with his domineering aura making the air so, so, much heavier than that outside.

The man was staring at him the moment he entered (he guessed even as he stood outside) and did not move his sights away until he was only a meter in front of him. Silva then shifted his gaze to look at the a table in the corner of the dark room, just below one of the azure torches. A piece of paper lied there and Killua knew he was supposed to read its contents.

Slowly, coolly, he went over to the table and lifted the paper. But as he did so, his eyes widened before he even realized it and they immediately narrowed in anger. He angrily whipped his head to glare at his father, automatically crushing the paper in the process. "What is **this**?" He asked, and the question came out more of a growl than actual words.

Silva, however, did not seemed fazed. If he was, he did not show it. "Do you accept this mission or will you run away from it?"

"You promised not to lay a hand on them if I stay with you!"

"I' m not going to hurt them." He said firmly. "You are."

He gritted his teeth and his aura burst out. There was no way he was going to accept this.

Silva stood up and turned away, apparently thinking there was no way he'd refuse. "We've received too many requests to kill him these past few years. It's time to stop turning a blind eye." He said, maintaining eye contact, and Killua was getting more and more unnerved. "Or is it that you want the blonde to suffer like _she_ did?" He said, and disappeared.

Killua disbelievingly stared at the spot where his father stood a second ago. He knew he would go on this mission—had had _no choice_. But before he could regain even the slightest bit sanity he had to do anything he was asked to, he instinctively did the only thing he _could_:

**He screamed.**

**…**

Nerys was walking around the estate, talking to Kalluto whom she met by chance, when she heard the scream.

It was so loud Nerys swore many of the birds that lived in the nearby forest flew off to the next mountain. She had been used to hearing screams of agony (mostly caused by her), and this was it. Was someone being tortured to death in the house? And who could scream that loud?

"Nii-san…"

Her eyes widened. Which one? She asked, apparently out loud, and Kalluto only stared not really bothering to tell her. But judging by the sound of the voice she knew who it was. Nerys just had a hard time believing it.

Nerys knew of Kalluto-chan. She (_he_, she knew, but with the outfit Nerys was simply not comfortable using the latter prounoun), was—still was—a member of the infamous Genei Ryoudan, and despite her appearance, she was not someone to be trifled with. That went with everyone in the house, of course. But she would be her future sister-in-law, and Nerys had too much pride to back-off. "Do you have an idea why your brother would scream?"

Kalluto maintained her stoic façade and nodded. "Oniichan is probably sent to a mission to kill his old friend."

…

NOSTRADE MANSION

Elsewhere, some few hours later, the aforementioned acting mafia boss was discussing an upcoming auction held 10pm that same day. And every time they talked of auctions, Kurapika's mind _always_ went back to his time against the spiders.

The Spiders hadn't showed themselves to him after 5 years—even after the chain broke. They still heard of their activities, but they kept their distance... enough so he could collect many of his clans' eyeballs on the way. He remembered that this was his goal now—it was no longer about blindly taking the Spider's life.

And that change was all thanks to his friends, especially Gon.

"So… who will be attending?" Basho asked as he played around with his chin as if it still had his trademark facial hair (something that got burned by accident because someone he used his Great Haiku on ran to him). He, along with Basho, Leorio, Senritsu, and Neon were then in the house's lobby, ready to leave.

"I'd like to go alone this time." Kurapika said, wanting to be alone for the anniversary of his friend's disappearance. The others seemed to have understood, and they nodded in agreement.

But before they could turn to leave, Kurapika felt a presence—something extremely well-hidden, but his senses caught it anyway. Senritsu seemed to have had the same feeling, and the other three flinched when the two of them stood up.

"What is it?" Leorio asked looking around guardedly and instinctively doing a defensive position. The other, normal guards were slow to react and a few seconds when they finally realized that the nen users in the middle of the room were ready to fight—they were already knocked down. They didn't even had the time to actually take out their guns.

The ones remaining standing all shivered when the said presence let go of his 'In'. They all whipped their head towards the dark corner of the room where the aura emanated from, defensive and, dare he say, _scared_. And when the figure came out oh-so slowly, they all shivered again—but in a different way.

It was because the said figure happened to belong to an old friend they hadn't been able to contact for _half a decade_. Leorio, the always boisterous one, was the one to address the newcomer. "KILLUA!?" He yelled from the top of his lungs, but his vehemence was sucked out as easily as it came when he noticed Killua's eyes.

The younger man's orbs were empty, dark, and full of sorrow—a look Kurapika knew too well, and it wasn't something he expected to see in Killua. Especially not when he was fortunate enough to be with—

"_Where's Gon?"_

The rest, hearing his unusual tone, flinched immediately and looked at Killua. They were now as nervous as Kurapika was.

"Killua," Kurapika repeated, as evenly as he could. "Where's Gon?"

The newcomer looked away. "I was sent here to assassinate you, Kurapika." He said as if answering his question. "There were many requests these past few years. I suggest you stop doing what you're doing if you want to live."

Kurapika, however, did not care for his warnings. What he heard was that Killua had been updated in the killing business for the past few _years_—and that fact unnerved him to no end. "Answer my question Killua. Where's _Gon_?"

Leorio, sensing the increasing hostility, stepped up. "Guys—we're all friends here. Can we calm down a bit?"

"Killua!" Kurapika strode to Killua and grabbed his shirt, and now the two very tall men were face to face. "Killua. Why aren't you saying anything?"

Still, Killua made no answer, but the emptiness in his eyes were enough to push him to the edge. Kurapika punched Killua's face with all his strength and he didn't even hear any of the protests from his friends. Killua managed to regain balance before falling down and absent-mindedly wiped the blood on his mouth.

Kurapika's body felt numb from rage but he had too much power to keep in and he attacked the assassin relentlessly. "Answer me!"

Still Killua remained silent. What was worse? Killua never bothered to avoid his attacks—he _welcomed _them.

He just kept standing up every time he fell, wordlessly taking the attacks every time. Kurapika felt he was going to go insane with that abominable combination of anger and fear that surged through him. _Kami-sama please don't let Gon be—_

"She's dead." Killua finally said, getting everyone to stare at him and lose coherent thought. "She has been for five years now."

There was a long time of heavy silence that passed by them, the others no longer moving to try to calm him down, and Killua finally looked straight into his eyes to show him just how serious he was, and maybe how much he had lost.

"I killed her."

It was then that Kurapika felt something inside snap—a string. The string that tied insanity with control.

"KURAPIKA! Stop it!" Leorio was yelling nearby again. "If you use your ability you will die too!"

_Do I look like I care?_

Kurapika _refused _to believe it, and he unconsciously turned his head to Senritsu as he thought so. But his friend's shocked face gave even more confirmation into Killua's world and it made him feel like he was being torn apart.

Irrational thoughts controlled him and he attacked Killua relentlessly. But Killua avoided them all. "Why the heck are you suddenly scared?" _**Now **__you avoid my attacks?_

"Gon would not have wanted you to die."

All he saw was red. "_How dare you!" _

But Killua somehow managed to catch his chain and stare right through him, pleading. "Stop, Kurapika." And for a moment that beseeching stare calmed him down. But he _couldn't _keep calm, not now, not for a long time.

Kurapika pulled his chain towards him and dematerialized it, grabbing Killua's neck in the process. "I do not need my ability to kill you." He said, not noticing how much his voice was cracking. As he gripped his neck tighter, he released an aura that made the others step back. _They can't stop this_.

"All you had to do was _protect_ her." He roared, ignoring the fact that Killua wasn't doing anything to stop him. "_How can you fail?!_" He yelled and he started to feel bones cracking, and felt a strong pang of remorse and he could feel his hand starting to slip.

But then somewhere inside the room he felt a sharp object approaching and stepped back by reflex, realizing it was a needle that passed between him and Killua.

"We sent you here to kill someone, not to get yourself killed." A monotonous voice said before its owner appeared before them. "You fail the test brother." He said before robotically turning his head towards Kurapika, and Senritsu and Leorio, along with Bansho, put themselves between them.

Illumi did not flinch. "As much as I want exercise," He paused. "I'm here only to see my brother." Before turning his sights back to Killua, who was the grabbing his neck and staring at him with rare wide eyes—filled with fear.

The sudden appearance of Illumi was a shocking reminder of that day, Killua's resolve to do _anything_ disappeared and he found himself frozen in position, and no part of him cared.

Illumi knew what his effect was and he stepped closer to kneel to his brother's level. "Who knows…" He said, with a snake-like quality in his voice. "Father might appear again, and this time?" He paused and motioned his head to Kurapika and his entourage. "Maybe he'd crush those people's heads, too."

Illumi took in Killua's broken state blankly: guilt, empathy, and remorse were parts of him he always left somewhere else. He then turned away, catching yet another assassin's shocked eyes, and left without another word.

**…**

Nerys couldn't believe what she just saw. She didn't think Canary was telling the truth. Sure, she knew the girl wasn't lying but it was still beyond difficult—_impossible_—to believe. She had already seen the events unfold in front of her and she _still _found it hard to swallow.

What made it worse was she felt _insecure_—she had never truly felt it before, not like this, and she had no idea how to deal with it.

In any case, Nerys watched Killua silently stand up without looking at the blonde and disappear. She followed silently, and somewhere along the way—in some deep forest not far from the mansion—Killua stopped his tracks, his back suddenly feeling even broader.

"I didn't think you'd be nosy enough to follow me." He said, voice baritone and cold. Nerys pulled herself together and stood behind him with as confident as he could.

"I'm your fiancé." She said, trying to ignore that flinch in his back. "I can do whatever I want."

He didn't bother answering and she saw him gesture to walk away. _How dare he. _"Killua, as your fiancé, I want to know who this Gon person is."

He stopped walking then, and she felt strong chills coursing through her veins. He tilted his head only slightly to her direction. "Do not even utter her name, woman."

"I'm your **fiancé**!"

He turned to her, eyestelling her that it would _never_ matter. She fought the alien feeling of terror inside her and stood up confidently. She was not going to be dismissed like this. "I demand to know."

He didn't say anything, no doubt not wanting to spend an ounce of effort on her. And this fact caused many veins to break. "I may continue the job for you, you know." He fully turned to face her then, and she was partly proud, and partly scared. Still, she was not going to back down. She sauntered towards him so that they were merely a few inches away. _He's so beautiful, s_he thought, and the dangers he posed made him look like the forbidden apple she had a sudden urge to bite.

"You underestimate how strong I am." She said seductively and lessened their distance even more. "_Besides_, I heard everything—that Mafia Lord cannot use his ability on most people, yes?"

She saw his eyes widen again then, something she only saw when it came to his friends—the only time she could catch a glimpse of his soul. It both annoyed her and enticed her.

She shortened their distance to kiss him.

But instead of his cold lips on hers she only felt his cold murderous hands on her neck, strangling her as he was strangled by his old friend. She felt her back hit the rough tree trunk and she was now sandwiched between two forces. But what hurt more than those two were the way he looked at her as if he was ready to take her life then and there. "Try that again and I _swear_ I'll kill you."

"You are rejecting me because you are afraid to hurt me as well?" She yelled in response, desperately wanting to get through. A part of her knew she was full of herself, but she wanted to hope that a flicker of emotion will rouse from his eyes—guilt, recognition, _love—_and _she_ was the one to cause it.

And she did rouse emotions. But they were murderous.

He grabbed her neck tighter and she let out a raspy sound in response, "Don't talk about her as if you can _take her place_." His deep cerulean eyes bore into her like she was butter. "You will _never_ be able to catch up to her. **No one will**."

And he let her go, just like that, and coldly turned his back to her.

Nerys felt her legs give in and she sat on the damp grass and felt the roughness of the tree and its roots behind her. She was shaking, she could tell, her breathing uneven, and the hands on her neck could feel how strong her heart beat was. She didn't even notice the wet drops of tears on her face until they couldn't be stopped anymore.

Nerys Bloodsworth had never felt so terrified.

.  
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**END OF CHAPTER 3**

_**Coming Soon:**_**  
CHAPTER 4: Puzzles x Light x Entrance**

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Digilover23- **Hehe Super glad to know you're still excited! *brofist* And YES. As much as I don't wanna spoil, Lorcan and Killua will meet. I won't say anything else tho! LOL. In any case, thank you so much for reviewing! :D

**Mystic **- I'm flattered that I'm currently a fave of yours. Thank you! And hehehe—I wonder when she'll actually remember Killua *looks away innocently*. Super glad to know you love the sequel and here's the update! Hope it's fine, and thank you for the review!

**Yuki Candy Heart -** Aww don't be sad, they'll be okay soon. xD And no worries, Nerys will be very hate-able. Haaha. And here's the update! Enjoy and thanks for reviewing~

**Rigoudon3 - **Oh man *hugs* so sorry to make your chest ache. We'll make it feel better soon! And thank you so much for commenting~!

**Denizen of the night -** First off thank you for reviewing! He-hehe at least we have more Killua this chap! No Gon tho. /shots xD Oh, I don't wanna answer your question but I guess I will. Gon doesn't remember any of the Zoldycks. xD

**Chani **– Oh you will see Yinyang pair fluff soon!Just not in this chapter. Hehehe. Super happy that you still love this story and thank you for reviewing (twice) xD~!

**Slytherin Studios-** Thank you for reviewing! I'm happy to know that you enjoyed that chapter. :D

**BoomBANGBam- **Hahaha yay! Glad you liked the pair name. Huehue. I was always fond of odd pairs. xD And indeed~ Father/daughter moments are also fun to write. xD Thank you for reviewing, btw~! ;D

**XxHunterxX**- I'm happy that you guys are happy! Haha. And no worries, he won't be much of a rival… for now. (really haven't decided yet), and thx for reviewing! xD

**Vanizo- **Yep that isn't the case since I updated w/in a week! Wohoo. xDD Glad I managed to do the Gon POV chap decently, and thank you for the review~! :D

**Kyouno-aru **– It made you sad? Owww *pats back* Well, this chap isn't any more humorous so *pats back again* heheh. Next chapy tho! xD And yay thanks! I always wanted to fly so I never forgot that technique. xD Thx for the review btw~! :D

**Mytiaa- **Yeah Bad Silva! xD And oh—I'll explain why she forgot about the others in a few chapters! Not soon tho, and thank you for reviewing! :D

**Retz- **Whoa! You have a way more colourful love life than I do! xDD Oh well. *shrugs* Btw, writing overprotective Ging was super fun, and glad you liked it! xD And thank yoouu for reviewing.

**Kh07gl – **Killua will…! Just not in this chapter. xD And I so agree! I shall make up for the YinYang Pair moments that the manga so thoroughly lacks now! lol. And thx for the review~

**KG-Ai – **Hahah yep~! Oh, and the dream's like her unconscious telling her something's wrong with her brain LOL. And yeah actually. I'm fond of making heroines' fathers overprotective so poor Ging's no exeption. xD And no offense taken! (What am I supposed to be offended about?) and thank you for the reviews! :D

**Jonica77-** Let us chant together! Gon, remember him! Remember! *cheers her on* xDD Thank you for commenting, by the way!~ *brofist*

**Yorumi1**- Gahahaha. OMG, unfortunately you'd have to wait. xD At least for a little while. I'mso sorry! Hahaha. Hope the chaps are hooking enough tho! And thx for the comment~

**Charlotte Hevelesca-** Hahaha indeed!After three chappies of no GonKillua I'm so very depressed. Hahaha. And sure! Where you from, kabayan?! (*o*)9 And thank you for reviewing~!

**Pitou77- **Hahaha yeah, there will be battles! I'm not particularly confident on my action-writing abilities to make it viscous but I shall try! And thx for comment, my friend! xD

**Apo D –** Thank you for reviewing~! So happy to know you love my fic so far, and here's the next chap! I hope you enjoy it, despite its angst. xD

**Guest [Jul 1 2014]- **Hello Bunny~! xD Super sorry I made you cry! And glad I managed (I think) to make it up to you. Hahaha And yes! They're going to reunite… soon, Gon and Killua. xD And thank you for reviewing~!

**Ot4ku-Girl24- **ahahaha. First of all I'd like to thank you for reviewing~! ;) Ging doesn't know about Killua, nor does he know Gon meeting Silva. :D And oh—It wasn't love yet at that time, Nerys' feelings started as a morbid fascination. xD Hope you enjoy this chap~

**LittleChomper- **I'll explain why Gon forgot about the others as well in the future, and yeah I don't make OCs often and I hope they didn't seem unnecessary. xD Glad you liked the twins btw~ And that I hope the OC still has depth despite being hate-able. xDD Tell me if I'm failing, and thx for reviewng~! XDD

**Kawaiishiella-** O-Oh *blushes* Thank you for telling me I'm good. xD Super glad the twists managed to stay twists! I try my best lol. Oh, here's the next chap! Enjoy~

**Bushwah- (ch1) **Wohoo! Glad you agree with me on the Guardian pair. xDD You do, right? Lol **(ch2)** Only Gon doesn't remember. xDD Killua, well, he believed Gon's dead and everyone she loves is threatened. Got twisted, that boy did, I'm super guilty for doing that to him. xD Thanks for the reviews, btw~!

**Kazumi Rin- **You mean the main four? That's Killua,Gon,Kura, and Leorio. And yay Lorcan! He's actually Kura's counterpart, if he took the scholarly path rather than revenge. xD Won't be dealing with him for a while tho! Hehe. And LOL I'm a sucker for overprotective dads haha glad you liked it! Thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Phoenix-Thunder – **Thank you for reviewing~! Haha Glad you liked the chap, this chap is more angsty but I hope you like it too. xD Oh, and Kura/Leo will appear here! hehehe

**Guest [Jul 3 2014] –** I can't say for sure but if support keeps like this I'll be able to update weekly or every two weeks. *crosses fingers* Hope that's the case. And cool kabayan! What can I call you (certainly not 'guest' for long)? And thx for commenting~! :D

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**…**

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Thank you for reading folks!

I hope you enjoy this final angsty chapter in a while,  
and do allow me to know your thoughts. :D

Write your thoughts here please! For me? :)


	4. Puzzles x Light x Entrance

**I actually update weekly! OMG. Hahaha. This was all thanks to you guys! Particularly those awesome critters that I call my angels. You guys give awesome support. *hugs* And see? 100 likes already! You people are just... awesome. *sobs* **

**WARNING: **Will be trying on present tense because I can~ And the chap's still a little angsty (SORRY, it just happened). But, fortunately, not as much as the last one. xD

**Dwasclaimer: **I wash I own Hunter x Hunter.

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…

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**CHAPTER 4: Puzzles x Light x Entrance **

BLOODSWORTH MANSION

Nerys stood by her window, glaring through its solid transparent screen, thinking she had _never_ been so embarrassed in her life.

Certain thoughts climbed, crept, and took over her brain and she did nothing to stop them. There was a variety of thoughts like memories of instances where she had got what she wanted—no matter how difficult they were to achieve, juxtaposed with the fact that her 'fiance' was: in love with someone, once; took not one but a _number_ of people as important; and the infuriating fact that—despite the issue that he was actually _capable_ of emotions—he never bothered even _looking _at her. It had always been as if her existence did not matter, no matter what seductive tricks she tried.

But she frowned most when she realized she was allowing _insecure_ thoughts to dwell in her brain. She glared harder, but more on her vague reflection on the transparent wall in front of her.

This might have been the first time she got rejected, but everything had a first time, yes? This was not like her—to hesitate on a challenge like This. She closed her eyes to composure herself. _Yes_, Killua Zoldyck was _but_ a conquest, and she **would** make him fall for her—no matter what.

At least she could make him be conscious of her presence first. How hard can _that_ be? They almost _kissed._

But not even an hour later she realized that she was still being ignored…well, almost. This time she _did_ exist—but he looked at her like she was a fly that he would squash—without hesitation—If she even attempted to bother him.

And during the week that followed the pattern continued, and Nerys Bloodsworth found herself at the verge of exploding. She was the _princess_ of the infamous Bloodsworth clan! She was not going to let him get away from making her feel like a pest.

But in the end, she realized, she found herself mysteriously cursing not Killua…

But that girl he fell in love with.

**…**

_Hachoo!_

Her eyes widened at the disruption her sudden sneeze caused her imminent landing, but managed to regain her balance fairly quickly (notwithstanding the fact that she was currently around 200 feet above the waves). Fortunately, she managed to retain her center of mass and instantaneously moved some of the nen concentrated in her feet to her upper body to push herself back into a vertical position a second before hitting the sea.

She pushed the water down to push herself up, and breathed air as soon as she could. She said thanks to her dragon (and yelled 'had a peaceful sleep', and it roared in response) and begun to turn her head around to see where land was. She was quite far. Far enough that, if not for her eyesight, she wouldn't even have an idea where it could be. She'd be setting foot in the Yorbian continent soon (the dragon could only take her so far, given the time left before hibernating period), and she could't help but smile in excitement.

After she maneuvered herself so she could float to land, she found herself staring at the clouds. She felt the wind and the water simultaneously surrounding her skin, allowing pleasant cool sensations to surge through her, and she smiled at the fact at how clear the sky was.

The blue sky _had_ almost always made her insides twinge, puzzlingly, both in a painful and pleasurable way.

She continued her daze for a few more moments and wondered that even when all these elements were the same all over the world, and everywhere they change. What could be different from the land she left five years ago?

She closed her eyes and imagined the sky as blue as that in her dreams—it was even bluer, almost magical—and smiled. She would always wonder why it makes her feel so at ease—the image of cerulean—and it felt like she could swim in it forever. But soon her mind drifted to two old friends: Leorio and Kurapika.

She misses them so, and she wanted to see them soon. And a part of her knew that somehow they knew that something missing may be. She flinched when she felt something gently hit her feet and instinctively dunked her head to the water to see what it was. Her eyes twinkled at what she found.

A dolphin. And soon a dozen more, its friends, surrounded her happily, wanting to play. She grinned.

At least in this place most creatures weren't vying to kill her.

…

NOSTRADE MANSION

Meanwhile, Neon Nostrade watched her companions in silence as they spoke. She had never understood how much that girl meant to him until the fight a several hours prior, and he was still shaken. Her heartstrings were plucked every time she saw the pain in his eyes, but she knew nothing to soothe it. Silently, she held a soft grudge against Senritsu's ability to at least ease Kurapika's pain.

"Killua was lying when he said he killed her, you know." Senritsu said some few hours after the unforeseen reunion with the Zoldyck heir. Kurapika barely flinched, as he had been doing the past few hours now, and only maintained his stance. That was: Sitting on the couch, hands together, and crimson eyes plastered to the carpet.

"Why would he even say that?"

"I sensed much turmoil in his heartbeat." Senritsu said, whispering, and was a little surprised she said it out loud. The shock of everything must had hit her deeply, too.

"I think he wants to provoke me—"Kurapika paused. "He wants to die."

Senritsu nodded in assent. "I'm thinking he's being threatened."

Leorio looked hopeful. "Could it be with Gon's life?" After all, wasn't she sending Mito letters? But Senritsu looked at him for an uncomfortable second before shaking her head.

"No. Gon was really dead. I'm sorry." Senritsu paused. "I assume Mito probably wasn't aware of it, either."

Silence dominated the air again for what felt like hours. Neon thought that it got even harder to breathe.

Kurapika on the other hand closes his eyes and remembered, with much effort, those words he still found so infuriating—despite the fact that they was true. _Gon would not had wanted you to die like this._

"It's not that." He said grimly, recalling Killua's words. "They were threatening Killua with _our_ lives."

Everyone gaped at him, but they all knew it was the most logical conclusion. The silence was broken many moments later, by Leorio punching the wall.

"**Damn**—all these years we had no idea what was going on..!" Leorio yelled in frustration as he palmed his head as if wanting to cry, effortlessly ignoring the dent on the concrete and the blood on his fist. He managed to stop himself from going berserk and stared at Kurapika before touching the Kuruta's shoulder firmly. "We _have_ to help him!"

It was then that the grandfather clock nearby rang, momentarily breaking the tension.

Half past nine in the evening it said, and they forgot the place they had to be in less than an hour. They really were not in the mood for business, and they will understand if no one wanted to go to the important auction (it wasn't like they'll arrive on time, anyway). But then Kurapika's eyes opened wide and he stared at the clock as if it was telling him something other than the time.

"We should get ready." He stated, standing up, and the four of them looked at him worriedly. Kurapika shook his head at them and they saw that his eyes were bright cerulean again.

"I think we'll be going to the place where we're going to get our lead." He said, firmly, and then walked away.

Kurapika was really just thankful for something to occupy his head. He knew he'd go insane otherwise.

**…**

Leorio was surprised to find out that instead of going to the underground auction, they were going to the Southernpiece auction instead. Regardless, both auctions were going to be held in the same city, albeit in very different times. A few hours of travel passed and they arrived in York Shin city's top hotel sometime after midnight. They slept for a few more hours then (not that any of them actually could sleep that time) and before they knew it they were already in the venue.

Putting his hand on his pocket, Leorio almost whistled.

He hadn't been to many auctions that didn't sell scarlet eyes—and that meant auctions dominated by gruff-looking men—but looking at the attractive females around in _this _one (and the brighter and lighter atmosphere, too)… he knew he liked this sort so much more.

Then he suddenly felt a strong nudge on his stomach and glared at his attacker, Neon, and they enter another banter.

"Don't ogle on women. It's inappropriate and you know what we had to do." He frowned. _Of course_ he knew the direness of the situation, but what's wrong with a little distraction? Kami-sama knew they all need one. _Desperately_. And so, that was what he did: continue distracting himself

"What?" He asked, forcing a teasing grin that used to be so easy to muster. "Were you jealous?"

She fumed at this and nudged his stomach with her elbow again, and his mouth yelled an indignant 'oof!'. "You're full of yourself old man."

Fortunately, Kurapika and Senritsu returned to their spot after securing them tickets, so they became visibly more mature. They found it weird that they act so childish when they're alone together, but mutually decide to push the thoughts away.

And when they got inside, Leorio was surprised. He didn't expect to spot a familiar face at all, let alone so _quickly_. "Wasn't that—?"

"My, what an unexpected surprise." Satotsu smiled and held out his hand to Kurapika for a handshake. "It had been a while since I've heard from you." He said. "Last thing I heard you stepped down the Zodiac and became a mafia lord?"

The examiner then looked at Leorio and mused that the doctor, too, joined the Zodiac 5 years ago. It wasn't that he thought that Leorio was unexceptional, but_ that_ fact remained to be one of the biggest surprises in his life. Following that line of thought, he mused jokingly that if the President Netero died due to some unforeseen reason, maybe Leorio would amusingly get nominated to replace him.

"I am not the actual boss, Satotsu-san." Kurapika explained calmly. "I am only the one managing things while the master recovers."

"Uh-huh." The bearded man said looking at each one of them one by one. The first time he saw Leorio and Kurapika, they were with very adorable children. "Any news of Gon?" Satotsu innocuously, he had always been fond of that little girl. "I imagine she's still travelling with the young Zoldyck?"

Satotsu blinks at the awkward silence and the pale faces that followed his question. He was about to ask what's wrong when he feels familiar presences nearby. Maybe calling on to them will release the tension. "What are _you _two doing here?" He asked, perhaps overselling his pleasantly surprised tone, and the kids turned behind them to see who he was speaking with.

It was Menchi and Hanzo, looking very formal, and standing very close together. "On a date, are we?"

"There's a legendary knife to be sold here."

"And a legendary shuriken."

"So you're on a date."

"Yep." They said at the same time before greeting the kids. "It's cute how you two was together after all these years." Menchi said to Kurapika and Leorio, being very updated (like the rest of the association) of the two Zodiac 12 members. "It'd be cuter if Gon and Killua was here too!"

"OH I miss those kids." Hanzo nodded, touching his still-bald head, and then the couple turned to the kids who seemed even paler and sadder and more in despair than before. Satotsu shook his head when the couple looked at him for an explanation.

Senritsu, being the most sensitive one, was the one who tried to relive the tension then—or was it to throw the bomb as early as possible? Either option was not easy, but Senritsu did so anyway. No one else in her group could at the moment. "To speak in a lighter tone…, Killua returned to his family and Gon…well…" She paused, clearing her throat when her companion's heartbeats ran more erratic and distracted her line of thought, before finally sending the newcomers a sad smile. "Gon is now in a better place."

The three older Hunters' eyes widened, unable to even imagine that bright girl _lifeless_, before sending their condolences. It took them a few more moments to consider whether or not to ask what happened.

Senritsu told them of what they already knew, leaving the dramatic specifics out, and they parted ways to go to their respective seats feeling so many times heavier than when they entered.

But somewhere along the way, she sensed a familiar presence and paused. She smiled sardonically at how quick she was to try and make herself _do_ something. She looked somewhere in the auditorium, but given her small height and the number of people walking in front of her, she regrettably failed in finding anyone.

"What was it?" Leorio asked and Senritsu tilted her head to look at him.

"Zephile-san." She said. "He's here somewhere."

Leorio batted his eyelids and quickly looked around for the man. Sure enough, he found the man's unusual red hair and yelled shamelessly to get his attention. They became the target of everyone's stares (forcing Neon to hide her face in her palm to diminish the embarrassment), but otherwise the spectators didn't really care and proceeded to their seats.

Zephile beamed at the sight of them and practically ran to greet them. "How long had it been?" He asked rhetorically, very giddy, and assessed Kurapika… causing him to notice everyone else's states pretty quickly. He wondered why everyone seemed so tired.

It was Senritsu who continues the conversation. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." He said, tightening his tie by habit. "I'm being consultant to very rich clients now." He said proudly, and then remembered he never would've gotten this far without those kids. "Any news of Gon and Killua?" He hadn't heard from them. They _did_ promise to remain in contact…

"That was what we were hoping to get from you." Senritsu said immediately, almost as if she's trying to prevent something from happening.

"Oh, sorry, but I can't help you there." He shrugs and heard his beautiful and talented girlfriend softly calling him not too far away. He looked at the group apologetically and gestured for his girlfriend as an excuse. "Tell them my regards when you do, then?"

"…ah."

And he left.

…

Suddenly things felt hopeless then, and everyone they encountered had given them nothing but reminders that the precious Gon was gone and Killua had gone over to the dark side, very possibly being threatened. They sat there quietly as the auction went on and all of their heads filled with worry that the trip might had been for naught… and the remaining ounce of hope that things would work out was all blind optimism.

_Calm down, Kurapika, _the Kuruta chanted in more times than proper. It was a bad omen. He was losing his cool again, and he feared that he'd be going berserk due to stress very soon.

But then, sometime in the middle of the auction he hears a familiar name.

"Good job, Tzesguerra-san!"

Kurapika turned to look at the people seated not too far from them. They were in the same row, in fact, and Kurapika found himself assessing them without shame. The man called Tzesguerra had strikingly elf-like sharp features that was very hard to forget. He tried to recall where he heard the name before. Kurapika sat back properly when their eyes met, and he left his brain to travel in deep thought.

_Who are you, Tzesguerra?_

**…**

"Is there something you want to say, boy?" The man says after the auction, who approached him warily. He nodded at him coolly and it seemed the man was not expecting the blunt response as his eyes widens very slightly at it.

"Tzesguerra-san…" He paused and felt the surprised stare of his companions. "I heard a lot about you. You were with our friends during their stay in Greed Island. Their names are Gon and Killua."

Lore mouthed an astonished yell, Neon hid in embarrassment again, and Senritsu watched them all in anticipation. "Yes, that's true." The man smiled, obviously remembering some fond memory of Gon. Kurapika silently smiled at the fact that everyone he asked of her had _some_ sort of moment to remember her by fondly.

"We want to know when you got in touch with them at the latest."

"Just before they completed the game." Tzesguerra said, before carefully looking at his companions. "Why are you asking me this, boy?"

"Gon died." Kurapika says as stoically as he could, thinking that avoiding the use of quietus would make him feel even the slightest more detached. But he ended up telling himself to compartmentalize and told his heart to stop going at the rate that it was. He immediately cleared his throat. "It seems she passed after she left the game."

As expected, silence followed. And that silence was quickly followed by disbelieving exclamations. "What?"

"I can't believe it…" One of Tzesguerra's companions, a chubby man with tanned skin mumbled behind him. The other two seemed equally despaired, but one seems to instinctively hold up his hand and do something with his nen—evidently the sort of person who didn't freeze.

As the men absorbed the news, a beeping sound suddenly came from behind them, from the man Kurapika was watching. Tzesguerra narrowed his eyes and looked at his friend. "What was it, Kess?"

Kess's eyes did not leave his conjured radar as it made its noise. His partners already had a vague idea why he was stuttering, while Kurapika and Senritsu was not quite sure what to make of their frantic heartbeats. "Guys…" Kess said, gulping, before his lips start twitching.

And at the cue of a hopeful _beep,_ Kess' lips twitch again. But this time to form an awkward smile.

"I don't think Gon-san was dead."

…

Meanwhile, near a maritime village several miles from Kukuroo mountain, a certain Killua Zoldyck was blankly walking around a dirt path after a daytime mission to kill a whole organization, somewhat twitching his muscles and trying to get rid of the soreness Illumi's torture the previous night caused.

He stopped when he saw a nearby town, the town nearest to the Villa he had just come from. The settlement was placed by the sea and it was no doubt teeming with energy.

A part of him wanted to go in— to feel even the slightest bit of _life… _to go back to moments that reminded him of his days with Gon. But he knew he was a dark entity that threatened to damage these people, so he never did.

But somewhere during his daze, he suddenly felt a few presences near him. They were strong and their In was perfect—perfect enough for them to get so close to him undetected. Mentally, he reviewed what had happened in the villa. He was certain he killed everyone he needed to kill. Besides, no one from there was near as strong as the ones obviously planning to hurt him now.

So he pauses his steps and just stood there, and waiting for them to move. "If you're trying to follow me without being seen, you're failing miserably."

And right on cue, three young men of varying ages appeared. "How dare you humiliate our princess?" was the first thing they said as they did so, standing side-by-side behind him. Coolly, he turned around to see and immediately saw the resemblance. All of them had ebony-colored hair and very very annoyingly arrogant stances.

They were that girl's brothers.

"I didn't anything she didn't deserve." He says stoically, before walking away again (thinking they weren't worth his effort) and this made them fume in anger. He had a talent in exacerbating situations.

He sensed one of them attacking. He dodged and the attacker effortlessly regained his balance. "You _threatened to kill_ your own fiancé, you bastard!" He yelleds, and soon after his two brothers attacked as well.

Admittedly, after some hits and docks and counters and a few cuts gained here and there he realized that this fight was not going to be easy. They were all top-class assassins, after all, he had to admit begrudgingly. They eventually had to stop attacking to collect their breaths, expressions telling him that they obviously were not expecting him to still be able to stand. Killua patiently stood, waiting, and cracked a few bones to signify he's warmed up.

The three flinch at this before they simultaneously released huge amounts of aura. Killua let out just enough to match theirs in response. However, before the three could attack, Killua felt a sudden fast-approaching entity somewhere from the sea. He managed to step away just in time before the object landed. It was easily hazed by the then-floating dry dirt it misplaced, and it was standing directly where he had stood.

The three looked at it warily, and so did he, but none of them diminished their aura. They soon realized that—as if it just came out from an amusement park ride—the object let out a laugh so gleeful and feminine and sounding so very _familiar. _

It was a person.

The person then stood up and at the top was a very familiar greenish shade of black, and at that moment he felt like he soaked himself in lukewarm water—after attempting to survive in the freezing mountains for years.

This person was much taller, had longer hair, and wore a stance prouder than the ones he remember in his memory—but it was _her_. There was no doubt about it. Killua did not register she was dripping wet (nor will he had the energy to question why), nor did he notice that all of his protective aura was gone, much like a balloon that abruptly lost its air. At the moment he could only be relieved his brain hadn't shut down at all.

"Three against one? That's not a very fair fight." She said, standing a meter from him. He couldn't say anything, he couldn't even _move_ (and he doubted it's because of his sore muscles) and he swore his heart stopped the instant their eyes meet.

He even began thinking that he might already be dead. _It's her, it's her…, _his brain chanted in such a melodic way that the words kept _ringing_.

It's **her.**

_Gon_.

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER 4**

_**Coming Soon:**_**  
CHAPTER 5: Denial x Chase x Reunion**

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**XxHunterxX- **Ahahah Then I shall faint out of happiness for causing you happiness! LOL Glad you loved the chapter and you should really read This chap (unless you already had). xD Enjoy, and thank yooou for reviewing~ :D

**LittleChomper- ***cackles* many girls wwashed the same thing lol. Maybe it'll come true? Haha. And actually I'm glad you said the current condition reminds you of the anime. I got the inspiration for all This angst from there LOL. And Thx for the comment! :D

**Dolce-tasie – **Thank you for reviewing! And *blushes* I'm glad you think This was super good so far, and I agree—Writing three angsty chappes was somewhat draining xD And oh~! The chap shall answer some of your questions. ;D

**Mystic-** Awww *bropats* I'm glad I make your day! Esp when all I give you was feels. xD And the letter? That was blown out the window when Senritsu sensed Killua wasn't lying. I guess the thoughts jumbled up and chaos ensued. Haha. And I'm pretty giddy about the great author comment and being a Filipino over there! Hahaha. Where ya' from?

**AsukaSaru- (ch1) **HAHAHA US and our weird pairings. xDD And tell me you ship it now! **Haha (ch2) **Yay! Glad you think the chap's both awesome and amazing. xD I shall try to keep it up~! (**ch3) **Ohhh~! I'm glad you liked the intensity and thought it was wonderful and for thinking I make some of the best fics*blushes*! xD And thank you for the reviews~

**KG-Ai – **Here was blueberries so she'll be many colors. LOL. And no worries~ Things will er… sort themselves out in a few chappies. xD I won't ever be offended by reviews, particularly emotional ones. So no worries, and thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Digilover23- **First off thank you for reviewing~! I hope I can keep that excitement growing. Oh, and about Phoenix Thunder's stories I wonder about that myself. Perhaps we should as her together in facebook. xD

**Ot4ku-Girl24 –** Haha at least she's on This one, right?! xD And no one can blame you for hating the hateable Nerys! Oh, they didn't kwass. She _tried_ to but he strangled her before she tried. *wink* And the past years Kura took Light's place and did a few… big things. Hehe. And lol I actually made you laugh in the angst-filled chapter! xDD *cheers* And oh, thx for reviewing~

**Slytherin Studios-** Thank you so much for reviewing~! I'm super glad that you still think This was a nice chapter and I'll keep it up! Haha

**Kawaiwashiella** – Glad you think chap 3 was great! About the meeting thing though… xD Had you read the chapter above? You should! *wink* Thanks for the review, btw~ :D

**Kh07gl-** Oh hahaha. Happy-eyed Killua will come in a few chaps… just not _This_ soon tho. Hhuehuehue. xD You can expect less angst tho, and Thanks for the review~! xD

**Kyouno-aru –** IKR. I found it terrifying, too, but I couldn't _not_ make him murderous. I just had to, okay? xD And yes Nerys, back away, back. Don't notice the cliff I placed behind you. Just step away. Hahha. Thank you for reviewing, btw~! xD

**drawingRAMPAGE-** Thank you for reviewing! xDD Glad you liked the chapter in its whole LOL and I shall try to make the other chappies a lot more… likeable? Hahaha. The points you dwasliked were super understandable. Sadly those conflicts I set up since the original story. I'll deal with those later. xD And yay! I'm happy for the good points lol and cheers for sadwastic glee! Hahaha. And I shall try to maintain the flow of plot and the standard of Englwash until the end! Thanks again! :D

**Yuki Candy Heart**- LOL Killua will not kill Nerys but don't worry! I'll make her suffer enough in hwas hands. xDD And of course, thank yooou so much for reviewing! ;)

**Lilly le-** I'm glad I succeeded in making you feel things and yay! Kurapika fought in a manly way. A relief to know. But alas! Don't worry, things'll get better for them, and thx for commenting~! :D

**Minerbbbi - **That question… shall be answered in This chapter! I hope you liked it and thank you for the comment~! :D

**Jonica77 -** Lololol don't worry, as a lover of shoujo mangas I will not dwas make Killua had romantic feelings for Nerys. But alas! He won't get rid of her so easily. xD Oh, and thx for reviewinG~!

**Chani –** Yay! I'm super glad I can make you happy in my own way and you're welcome, but also Thank you for reviewing~! xDD Oh and Yinyang pair fluff… _may_ arrive soon.

**Guest [jul 8 2014]** – Hi Bunny~! xDD *reads review* I make you feel _that_ giddy? Well now, _I'm_ giddy! Hahah. Oh, and nope~! They don't think something's up because Senritsu confirmed Killua wasn't lying. Thank you for reviewing, and yes! I shall continue what I'm doing. ;) hehe

**Yorumi1-** Lol yes he's still doki doki for Gon and thank goodness, too, cuz This chapter—You should just read. xDD Thanks for the review by the way~! :D

**Grapes- **Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad you like my updates, and I shall do my best to keep it up!*cheers*

**Thoroughly Mwasguided- **Haha. Maybe, maybe not. xD And loool. Don'tworry 99.9% of the readers hate Nerys too. Hahahha Oh, I'm glad you think I'm doing something awesome and yes I shall do my best to keep it up. Thx for the review, btw! :D

**Denizen of the night-** Lol indeed~! He won't get rid of her so easily! xD At least he looked cool trying, right? Lol. And Canary's losing options and Nerys was presenting them so.. hehe. And Thx for reviewing!

**Charlotte Hevelesca –** Ohh I'm so sorry This broke your heart. I hope future events will help in its recovery. :D Future events *nods* that's all I can say for now. Hehe. Thx for reviewing, by the way! :D

**Retz-** Oh I see. I remember most small boys like bullying their crushes. xD Look how that turned out for him. LOL. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and thank you for the review! xDD Oh btw, how'd you reject him? Were you harsh? lol

**Guest [jul 10 2014] –** lol really tell me! xD A nickname? A penname? Anything! xDD And lol. You like intense right? If so, then I'm glad you liked the intensity of the chap! Lol And thx for reviewing~

**Chess- **Yay! We all love our loyal Killua, no? But oh… you dwaslike Lovetrwas? Well, I'd like to warn you there'll be a number of them soon. Hope you still like it tho, and thanks for reviewing (twice)~! xD

**Phoenix-Thunder –** Yay! I'm glad I made a decent KilluaxKurapika scene, and that you liked the NerysKillua scene as well! I'm glad you like the chapter and indeed I shall try to keep up the good work! *high-five*

**Shiver-fire-** Suspenseful was good right? Hahah. Glad you liked it, then, and soo flattered to know you think of me as a great author. Thanks for reviewing~! :D

**Bobatea111- **E-Eh? Well, I'm glad you think so! xD But I still have lots to go. That would've been cool if it happens tho, and thank you for the comment~! :D And oh! You're my 100th reviewer! Here's some Buko pie for you to enjoy. xD

**Esperanz- **Thank you for reviewing~! And yep~ I already planned out how he'd get rid of the obstacles…, but they won't be happening _this_ soon tho! Hehe~ And Ella? My OC? That's so cool! May I know your DA acct? :D And oh~! I'm glad you find the story interesting! xDD

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…

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Thanks for reading everyone!  
Hope you enjoyed  
and—as always—please don't hesitate to review! :D


	5. Denial x Chase x Reunion

**As always—THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT. And by support, I mean awesome amazing support. You people are fabulous and any writer would be inspired to update weekly with how we're going right now! :D **Oh, and don't worry about me rushing—a lot of you felt like I was the previous chap. I'm actually apologizing in advance here because the outline told me to do the opposite. Te-hee

Anyway, ENJOY and please don't hesitate to leave feedback! I love to hear from all of you! :D

**WARNING: **SHORT Chapter! See that scroll bar over there? The end will be a little beyond halfway. Sorry. I just hope it's eventful enough to merit your love. xD

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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…

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**CHAPTER 5: Denial x Chase x Reunion**

NOSTRADE RESIDENCE

Emerald eyes stared deeply at the deep valley below the balcony. The balcony wherein she stood still, and looking at the view as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. That was not true, however, as the emerald-eyed girl was looking at nowhere in particular and was thinking of a lot of things. Particularly thoughts pertaining to a certain blonde.

The blonde who took over the organization when her father lost it—his sanity and _her_ abilities... It had been 5 years and he had no good progress, but Neon thought she was lucky to still have many good and caring people by her side.

She closed her eyes. Now that they knew that girl was alive there was no way Kurapika wasn't going to find her—she knew this, and this was something she had to accept. Still, she knew him well enough that he'd find a dilemma in leaving responsibilities behind. So she made a decision.

"You've done much for my family." She said as calmly as she could some time before. He had been doing paper work then, probably trying to finish everything (which wasn't possible in the near future) so he could find Gon. "It's time for you to do something for _you_."

She smiled at how easily the answer to his problems came to her now. Five years ago, the concept of 'letting go' was something alien, now she didn't even have to think too much about it. After looking just a little shocked, he smiled at her and this made her insides flutter like never before.

He touched her shoulder, which made her shiver as he very rarely touched her on his own accord. "Thank you." He said,

And she knew that all the change in her was all worth it.

**…**

"What are you still doing here?" She asked Leorio who was then sitting at his desk. Senritsu only smiled and proceeded in making the doctor his tea.

"The princess no longer wants the medic in the castle?" He joked and Neon thought it was absolutely _infuriating_ the way he called her that.

"Who'd want an annoying doctor around, anyway?" She said even when she knew full well the responsibilities he had to her father. She was not going to go out of her way to call him honourable. No way.

"A doctor's a doctor." He grinned and she fumed. It was then that Senritsu handed Leorio his cup, and the clink of porcelain hitting the glass tabletop somewhat signalled Senritsu's intervention.

"You know you two actually look good together."

And the two whipped their heads towards Senritsu. "We do _not_!" The smaller woman only shrugged and listened to their frantic heartbeats. Senritsu always knew it was there, and it had been growing through the years.

It was only a matter of time.

**…**

Elsewhere, a young assassin couldn't help but gape at the new figure standing before him. It's _her_.

He froze. "Gon…" He said, whispering, heck he thought he just breathed out, but the sudden turn of her head told him she heard it anyway.

"You know me?" His brain didn't even register the lack of recognition in her voice. She was _there_… and she was looking at him wide eyed and worried. "E-Eh? W-Why are you crying?!"

_What?_

By instinct, his hand moved to catch the tears which were, indeed, there. He saw her move towards him and he stepped back by reflex. Gon batted an eyelid at the gesture, demurely tilting her head—like she always did when she was confused. _Kami-sama she's really here. _

He wanted to hug her so so much, but as he stared back at her… he finally realized that when she looked at him like she didn't know him. Sure enough, she confirmed his fears a second later. "Ne…have we met before?"

He was silent for a while—trying to figure everything out. She didn't recognize him—she no longer _knew_ him. He might not have even passed through her head these past five years.

_Why?_

Images of what had been done to him to forget Alluka appeared and suddenly it all made sense. He frowned deeply at the implications. _The world is too cruel_, he thought, whether he said it to no one or to the universe it didn't matter—it was a fact.

Killua quickly caught all self-control he could muster and shook his head. "…no." He said. "We never met."

"Then why do you know my name then?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed at the combination of confusion, worry, and curiosity. "You look really familiar."

Killua couldn't find enough composure to answer. He wanted to touch her face, hug her, tell her _everything_—but there was a reason she did not remember him. Swiftly, images of that fateful day when they parted dominated his brain and his knees weakened. They gave her a second chance—for reasons he dare not challenge—and he would not endanger her because of his selfishness again.

He needed to suck it up. "You're a hunter." He said, as coolly as he could possibly do. "I've heard of you."

Unsurprisingly, Gon scratched her cheek in embarrassment, obviously flattered. Although… a part of him wished she didn't believe the lie so quickly.

"You two!" A voice roared behind them and suddenly another burst of auras exploded.

Killua sighed. He forgot about them.

**.**

The three men had their auras constant for a while now, which was impressive in itself, and they looked _furious_—no doubt humiliated at being ignored.

Then he felt an aura beside him, easily pulling his attention. It was clean and controlled and just enough aura to deal with the other three. It was then he noticed Gon was, indeed, dripping wet, but he couldn't quite bring himself to ask about it.

Killua turned back to the raven-head men. Did they sense he was in desperate need for distraction? No?

Well, tough luck to them.

**…**

A few minutes later, the three top assassins lay unconscious on the ground. It wasn't difficult—now that the soreness of his body was momentarily gone because of the adrenaline rush Gon caused. And there was, of course, Gon herself.

Gon was beaming, satisfied with the exercise, and started stretching her body. Killua couldn't help but stare, and he shook his head immediately. He couldn't afford to stay here any longer. It was then Gon whipped her head to him, grinning.

"We sure work well together, ne—Eh?" Gon's eyes widened and she looked around her for any sign of the mysterious boy who cried for no apparent reason. A heavy feeling on her stomach caught her attention. _What could've made her feel that way? _

Her sharp ears then caught an almost indiscernible sound of a leaf ever slightly being moved opposite to the direction to the leaves adjacent to it. Her feet moved on its own and she sprinted to his direction. He flinched when he saw her only a few meters away. And just when she raised her hand, about to greet him—

He ran.

**…**

"_Why do you keep following me?"_ He yelled as he jumped from tree to tree in a speed that Gon rarely saw in humans—even in the Dark Continent. Still, she frowned at the weird question. (And at the back of her head she noticed she was already dry, she _had_ just been playing with the dolphins before a whale threw her into the air).

In any case, as she ran, she opted to answer his question. "Why do you keep running away, then?"

"Because you're creepy! Leave me alone." He said, telling himself to keep his voice level. Assassins did _not_ squeak. "You've seen how strong I am."

"And you've seen I can take you on." Gon retorted, and indeed she could. It was surprising how much she has grown (otherwise he would've outran her by then). Still, he didn't say anything and sprinted faster instead.

He was operating on pure instinct now—turning off all thoughts and focusing on avoiding her at all cost—because his mind wasn't working as it should.

Ironic, really. He depended on instinct because he remembered _everything_. She depended on it because she couldn't remember a thing.

The cat-and-mouse pattern went on for many excruciating minutes. Partly, he was just happy—_exhilarated—_to be talking to her again during those moments she pulled out his consciousness with her voice. But the more logical part of him—the part he'd been using almost exclusively these _five years_ and the brain capable of forcing himself to run away—was winning, hands down.

He'd seen too much, he _caused_ her too much, to allow her to be involved with him again.

Besides, who was to say this wasn't all just a cruel dream? He dare not remember what _those_ did to him during their first year apart.

He didn't realize he stopped at a clearing. He turned to her, and she stopped at a distance away from him, too. She was waiting for him to say or _do_ something. He dreaded the fact that he forced her to be careful with him.

"I'm… an assassin, my family is." He said firmly, adopting a glazed look that had once been so easy.

"All of them?" A similar image of many years ago—in a blimp—imprinted on his mind. A very painful déjà vu. "…Hello?"

"You do not want to be associated with the Zoldyck family."

"Why?"

"You'll only die." He said, adopting a face he'd been using since he lost her. "Do you want to die?"

Her hopeful face got softer, as if she was seeing through him again. It was both unnerving and stirring and he was pretty sure he wouldn't want to be operating on feelings right now. "I'm stronger than you think."

He gaped at her for a moment, and he swore she could hear his strong heartbeat. "Why risk your life for someone you just met?"

"We haven't just met." She said firmly. "That's why I want to know why I don't remember you."

He forced a scoff. "You think I'd know what happened to you?" He said as sharply monotonous as he could. If she was surprised at his answer, she didn't show it. Instead, she only stood firm, never breaking eye contact.

She nodded.

"You're crazy." He snapped, sharpness in his tone exaggerated, and turned away. But he didn't even take a step further when he felt her warm hands on his arm, causing that almost-forgotten sensation that coursed through his body every time they touched. It never failed to wreak havoc with his senses.

He whipped his head at her, no longer in control of whatever revealing expression was on his face, only to meet with her bright russet orbs—_pleading_. "At least tell me your name."

"Killua." He cracked out before he caught himself, before finally gaining enough composure to escape from her hold and stand imposingly over her again, at a safe distance. Unsurprisingly, she did not even wince and instead mouthed his name.

He could feel his spine tingling and his stomach doing summersaults but this time he didn't show it. _How long has it been?_

But then she kept repeating it.

"Why do you keep saying my name? Is it that difficult to pronounce?" He said stoically, but his insides were swelling. She blinked at looked up at him again, staring back at him confusedly. She didn't know the answer, either.

His heartstrings were being plucked again and they were slowly becoming unbearable after being unused for so long. He found himself spending all of his energy into stopping himself from acting on his desires.

Then she called his name again, this time with a hint of worry (_what was he showing her?!_), and stepped closer. He was about to step back, but he held his ground and channelled the rest of his energy into appearing unfazed. "Don't come closer." He said, hopefully telling her not to step on his space.

"Sorry." She mumbled and touched the back of her neck as she looked away. She was embarrassed for acting like that to him, and she didn't understand _why_.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot be friends with me." He finally said, but it came out way softer than it should. She whipped her head back to stare at him, maybe to see how serious he was, and he could see all the confusion in her eyes. But this was something that had to be done, so he no longer waited for her to respond.

"Who are you to say that?" She said stubbornly, eyes bright with the tenacity he had loved about her (_once_, he added). It made him frown even deeper, getting his face to look a little craggy. _Why did she have to be so like…_ Gon_ right now? _"This is my decision as well!"

Something cracked, then.

"What part of 'leave me alone' do you _not_ understand?" He asked, _bellowed_—because he could not allow himself to _crack_. But what truly made Gon's eyes widen was the intensely dark aura that surrounded him. His aura almost disappeared then, but he caught himself. He needed to be stern.

He turned away. "Sorry." He said, whispering. "I have to go now. Nice meeting you, Gon."

She knew she sent him a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes, even without looking, and he fled as quickly as he could. He didn't know if he was relieved or sad—_both, _he realized later_—_that she didn't follow.

It made him think once more that the world was cruel.

.  
**.**

**END OF CHAPTER 5**

_**COMING SOON:  
**_**CHAPTER 6: Hunting x Arrow x Stealth**

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Kawaiishiella-** Yes they have! The reunion eh? XD Well, that will happen… but not in the nearest chapters. Oh, and thank you for commenting~

**Dolce-tasie – **Thank you for reviewing~! :D I'm super glad you liked a lot of sections in this story and I agree~! Some charas need some more limelight. Thank goodness for fanfiction! xD

**LittleChomper – **Fast update, indeed! I'm so lucky to have you people as my readers. xDD And yep! Noisy Pair. Lovely, yes? XD And Nerys suffering more? SURE. Haha. Thx for reviewing, btw~! :DD

**Guest [July 12 2014] – **Haha, thank you for reviewing Bynnu-chan~! :D Well, I'm glad I got to give you even more feels. xD The questions will be answered in this and the following chapters~ And Kya! I'm happy this was your fave fic. I'll try to maintain that lol!

**KG-Ai** – aahahha I'm glad to have made you feel those different feels. xD And thank you for reviewing~! By the way, did the whole country, like, lose power that day? We had no power until around 2 pm.

**Darlingfedz- **Thank you for reviewing, and I'm happy to know I can make your day. xDD Oh and the answer to your question shall be answered in this chap! Hehehe. And I'm from Quezon City, btw! :D

**XxHunterxX- **Ahahaha then I'll tried to update before 1 week. Did I succeed? Lol Anyways, super glad you liked the chapter as much as I did, and thank you for reviewing! xDD

**HibarixZhen- **Yes she finally appeared~! xD Hope this chap was somewhat satisfactory and thank you for reviewing! ;DD

**Yuki Candy Heart- **Hahah well the answer to how Killua'll react is shown here! Was it satisfactory? XDD Oh and thank you for commenting! :D

**Dragfillia- **Yes, yest they finally meet~! xD Was Killua's reactions rational enough? Not sure. Anyway, thank you very much for the comment!

**Grapes- **Whoa Glad you think the chap was perfect! And hahah you too? I love reading and rereading reviews. Best motivation ever! And thx for being one of the vocal supporters. :D

**Chess- **Aww thanks for telling me I'm a great writer and decent non-annoying love triangles I shall try! xDD Thank you for the review, btw~

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**Retz- **Omg that _is_ so polite! Hahah. Well you did say you love him, technically, it just won't increase. Oh! OH! Don't die, I'll update as quickly as I could I swear. xD Thx for reviewing btw~

**SucreTeen123- **Yes finally! Hahaha Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go. Hope that's fine! And thx for the comment~!

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**Esperanz – **Well first of all thank you for reviewing~! xD As you can see, I continued off with yinyang for this chap cuz' a lot of people will kill me if I didn't LOL. And yep! It'll be solved once the needle is out. *wink*

**Kh07gl**- Yes, yes he is! But we have a long way to go before the end so we have plently of time to fix things for him. *wink* Thank you for reviewing and yes! The four will reunite… eventually xD

**Jonica77-** Here's the next chap! I hope the events didn't disappoint. Hehehe. And thank you for commenting~! :DD

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**drawingRAMPAGE-** You're welcome. Reunions are uber fun to write, too! So glad that I can make you happy! haha Thank you for reviewing and let me join that group hug damnit. *hugs*

**Kazumi Rin- **Gahaha indeed! Meeting people is good. But no need to worry~! I'm not rushing this, at the time I didn't have anything else to keep the story going so I made them meet. Thank you for reviewing by the way~! And thx for telling me you can wait. ;D

**Kyouno-aru – **Hahaha because watching assassins being badasses is fun! Hahah Glad you liked the chapter and thank yoouu for reviewinG~! :D

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**A DUMB girl WITH a COMPUTER-** Here is the next chapter~! I hope it was worth the wait, and glad the last chapter made you feel all those emotions! *cheers*

**Charlotte Hevelesca-** here's the next chapter! I hope I got it out quickly enough. xD And of course I do hope it's worth the wait. Thanks for the comment btw

**Ot4ku-Girl24 – **Awww, thank you for reviewing and soo happy you felt what you felt! Oh, you're right! I was planning on putting a middle chapter but after 4 chaps of angst I needed to write something hopeful. xD Hope it didn't seem too rushed tho~ And actually, I was fine with _any_ pairing and I shipped Neon with Kuro and Kura before! LOL. And great to know you're a fan. *brohug* Hope I can keep you til' the end. xDD

**Chani – **haha glad you liked the chapter~! :D This isn't really fluffy, but they talked so it's _something_ right? Hahaha Thank you for reviewing btw~

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Thank you for reading~!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter,  
and do allow me to know your thoughts! They all motivate me so! :D


	6. Hunting x Arrow x Stealth

**THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING SUPPORT FOLKS! Special thanks to those who are let me know of their presences by reviewing. Thx to those who follow and faved the story as well! YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME, I don't deserve you, but I'm happy to have you all! \(ToT)/**

**AD: **I shall take this opportunity to plug my facebook authorpage 'Nispedana, that humble fangirl' (LOL) as well as my other works, like my fanarts and two oneshots. Ahaha. Links are all on my profile, and it will be super awesome if you check it out. :D

**WARNING: **Minimal YinYang pair again this chap! Sorry. But it's twice as long as the previous chap so I hope I'm forgiven. xD

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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**CHAPTER 6: Hunting x Arrow x Stealth**

Upper West Side, Yorknew City

The limousine gracefully entered the iconic building's curbside, settling itself under the canopy shade for a moment. The driver walked out the door to open for his master: a handsome blonde, a concealed Kuruta, and a member of the revered Zodiac Twelve.

Kurapika needn't do anything else but nod at the driver to politely dismiss him and, after acknowledging the building's greeters by looking at them, he entered the building and headed for the most exclusive floor.

Only Kurapika went to meet Tzesguerra's posse that day, in a Hunter-only restaurant on the roof deck. Tzeguerra's whole group was there as the five of them seemed to be fond of both Gon and Killua and were especially taken aback when they heard of what he knew: that was, Killua was being held back by his family, and Gon was pulled away. Their faces wore a mix of sadness, disbelief, and pity.

When all they expressed was surprise (meaning the had nothing to add), Kurapika thanked them anyway, not feeling the tiredness from travelling back and forth in a single day. It was hard to tire when one had a goal. After letting the men talk among themselves, primarily about Gon and Killua and how cruel the world was, Kurapika finally cleared his throat.

Kess didn't need requests to activate his ability to reveal pings, and Kurapika looked at him deeply. "Kess-san…please tell me all you know up to now."

Kess nodded and returned his sights on his conjured radar. "Gon-san's still within the Eastern quarter of the Yorbian continent, by the sea, and only 1 kilometer before she's beyond my radar." "She had made a few nautical miles since then." He paused and looked at them worriedly. "But she stayed around the same patch of sea for a few hours now and I thought maybe her boat was stuck or something…" Then he gave them a confused look.

"But then after a leap—almost like the magnetic field cards in Greed Island—she reached quite a distance from the shore."

"Magnetic field cards?" Kurapika was unfamiliar with the term. The others stared at each other and pondered how they'd explain it to someone who hadn't played the game. It was Tzeguerra who did the honors.

"Let's just say that… she was moving as if she was flying."

"Or falling."

"Yes, falling at a projectile seems to be more accurate."

"I… see…" Kurapika said, not fully getting the picture. Kess shrugged and went on with his report. He stared at his radar for a while, the steady beeps of the radar matching his blinking, before his face turned to one of puzzlement.

"What is it?"

"She's moving back. I mean opposite to where she was running before." He said. "Maybe she's lost…"

"Gon has a good sense of direction." Kurapika whispered. "Perhaps she's looking for something?"

Kess didn't answer for a while until a few seconds of observation later, to allow more time to confirm Kurapika's thoughts. He shook his head in response. "I think she's going somewhere she knows now. But she's so much slower…" He said and after another ping, he told them of the direction she was going. "Northeast."

Upon hearing that, Kurapika conjured a map of the known world and laid it down the table. It was a large map, including the explored parts of the Dark Continent, which was regrettably not much greater than a quarter of the massive landform. It was far from easy to explore even an acre of land of that place and, even with all the countries acting, they only explored so much.

In any case, Kurapika traced his hand from their current location, to the shores facing Western seas. He proceeded to trace northeast, passing cities one by one, and somewhere along the way his eyes widened at a realization.

"What is it?"

"I know where she's going." He smiled (he thought he'd forgot how to do that), and kept down a chuckle. Still, the excitement in his chest was undeniable as he brightly stared at his companions.

"She's going home."

…

Antigone Freecs was indeed walking northeast, to where Whale Island was.

Although…, one would say that what she was doing really wasn't walking. It was more like she was _trudging_, simply because the excitement of going home deflated the moment that Killua person said they couldn't be friends. She wasn't even in the official paths anymore. She was trudging on single-file paths because being in the middle of the forest felt a lot better and intimate. She needed intimate at the moment.

Her feet stopped again at the thought, and absent-mindedly touched her chest. It was so… _heavy_, and there was nothing coming into her head to explain why.

Killua Zoldyck was such a familiar name—no, it was _more_ than familiar… which was weird because she didn't know him at all.

"Hey! Look out!"

Her eyes widened and she whipped her head to her right, where the sound came from, and blinked.

A metal?

She allowed her mind's eye to step back and she realized she was face-to-face with an arrow point. She rendered it still by catching it by pure instinct.

Beyond the sharp metal point came five traditionally-armed men, who looked visibly surprised that she was holding the arrow. They assumed they hit the tree beside her and she picked it up. "Thanks," one of the men said. "And you shouldn't be here young girl. These are hunting grounds."

"…oh." She mumbled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"What _are_ you doing here?"

"I'm heading to my home, to Whale Island."

The men looked at each other, not knowing where that was. Well, most of them didn't. One of them, the guy holding a small piece of paper with a sketch of the vicinity, just gaped at her disbelievingly. Whale Island was _really_ far away for a teenage girl to be going by foot.

"A lot of you sure are hunting together." She observed out-of-the-blue. Gon knew by experience that hunting alone or with a partner was the best way to go. Nor were dead giveaways to the game. The men seemed to somewhat get what she was pointing at and shook their head to correct her.

"We're hunting for a creature that cannot be defeated by three strong men—one of our strongest, in fact—and we lost them two days ago." He mumbled. "I heard hunters might fare better, but… not many hunters are left around here. They're all busy in the Dark Continent."

"I'm a hunter." She said nonchalantly earning herself some stares.

"You're kidding."

She blinked and stared at them directly not knowing why she'd kid around about it, and she got disbelieving ogles in the end. "I can help you guys if you want me to."

The men looked at each other worriedly. "Well, that'd be great. But… it depends on your fare." One of the men, the leader, paused, looking almost embarrassed. "We don't have the resources we once had."

"Oh." She said, and almost said she expected to do it for free, but then her eyes caught his bow and some memory of how slowly her emission techniques (well compared to her reinforcement ones, anyway) were going. "Well, you can teach me how to use that." She said, and after the silence that passed, the men grinned and a deal was struck.

Maybe shooting some arrows would give her answers.

**…**

The leader's name was Hajime. He was the only one she allowed to go with her, since she knew that rest would definitely scare the animal away. He was the stealthiest and most experienced after all, she could tell.

But not even a minute after separating from the other four, they heard a piercing scream. Gon was already gone before Hajime even realized it _was _a scream.

She arrived a few seconds later seeing a massive black lion over one of the men, paws up, and she knew the man would be dead in a second. However, and fortunately for the man screaming his lungs out, Gon needed less than a second to kick the lion at least a few meters away from the men.

She stood between the man and the dark-colored lion, and she turned back to look at the man. She retained a strong stance and saw that he was still scratched, but otherwise he was unharmed. He watched as he dragged himself out of the clearing and the four men hid behind the bushes.

Gon turned her head back to the unusual feline and they ended up circling each other: sizing each other up. (Which was kind of a pun since the animal was at least one and a half meters in height, and double that for its length). She knew this creature, she read this on one of Lorcan's books. And that meant it was from the Dark Continent. It had been five years since the known land was connected to that much larger mass of land, so she assumed it wasn't rare to encounter creatures from there here.

She was so engrossed with trying to recall what she knew of the animal that she almost did not realize Hajime catching up to her and that meant he was making noise that certainly caught both her and the animal's attention. It was a law of nature to go after the weak rather than going against the actual threat—so the feline turned and sprinted to the direction Hajime was out, no doubt not expecting a giant cat to be on him before he heard it coming.

Going quickly maneuvered herself for a faster sprint and managed to kick the beast's claw away, and her she raised to fingers on her right hand and made a quick survey of the cat's upper anatomy. She saw what she had to, a spot in the neck, and with one movement—the cat was unconscious.

"What… _wow_." One of the four men now beside her mumbled. The others did not disagree. Hajime, however, took a few more seconds to speak.

"I think I peed my pants."

…

A few minutes later Gon stood in the middle of the clearing. She thought it would help her 'clear' her mind somehow and recall information from months prior. She knew that part of her brain was a bit lacking, but she actually had a special place for animals and plants in her head. All that was left for her was to find it.

She ignored the shuffling and nervous sounds from behind her (she asked the men to tie the tiger, which they did) but then she heard the sharp sound of metal and she whipped her head to them to catch one of the men gesturing to cut off its head.

"Wait! STOP!" She yelled and quickly went between the blade and the unconscious animal. "What are you doing?"

"Killing it of course! It killed too many of our men—_dozens—_and most of them were my friends!" Yelled a man they called Umi. It seemed he regained his confidence after the creature was rendered unconscious. He tried to push her sideways. "Now little girl if you'll excuse me—"

She frowned at this and grabbed the blade with a hand and split it in half. "Stop it."

The men stared at her again, mixture of incredulity and fear in their eyes. It was then she remembered about the page she read (funny how some information pop out when one didn't expect it to, scumbag brains), and turned her head slightly to see the creature.

"It's female." She stated, recalling both sexes have manes. She also recalled that they were almost never alone. "That meant she must have gone here looking for a mate. Or at least she followed one here."

"So you mean…"

"Yes. And we may not find the other without her help." She said. "These cats are actually only agitated when they're in heat, but can't find their mate."

Hajime scoffed. "That's an intellectual way to say 'it', kid."

"Hmn?"

"Nothing." He shrugged before looking at her again. "So… how do we find the other?"

"Let me borrow that." She said pointing at the polo and cut the ties on the animal's rope. Of course the men exclaimed and yelled in alarm, but she only looked at them seriously and they kept quiet. She walked to the other side of the animal and kneeled, pressing on the point she did to render it unconscious. And just like that: it sprung back to life.

The men quickly walked back at the sight of this but Gon kept firm and held the animal's head. And she smiled. "Calm down girl." She whispered, coaxing. "We're not here to harm you anymore. We'll help you."

She then looked at Hajime. "Is there a sighting of a male one around here?" She paused. "At least in this area."

"How do you determine which one's male or female?"

She looked up as she mused, and then looked back at him when she remembered. The men shivered even more.

"The Males are twice as big."

…

Apparently, there was no male sighted in at least 3 towns around. The men certainly got pale when they found out just how much more dangerous a male one would be. "What about an extremely rich person? Like, someone with billions of zennies."

The men didn't even take a second to show recognition in their faces (something about a rich mafia lord's villa near a neighbouring town). Gon nodded in approval before looking at the large cat. "A mansion it is, then!"

.

"Wait a minute kid." He said. "What's in it for us?" Hajime asked but rather than greed, his face registered worry. It was dangerous enough to travel with a beast, to be against another beast—something they _can't_ kill—was a different issue entirely.

Gon tilted her head as she thought and the old man thought that if he hadn't seen the girl's monstrous strength first hand, he'd think she was adorable. Then he remembered his daughter, and his brave travelling nephew, and knew for sure he couldn't risk his life for this.

"I don't think there is any, unless you like Maaya-chan and want her to see happiness."

"Maaya-chan?"

"Her."

"You _named_ her?!"

"Yeah." She said casually as if nothing was wrong with that, before going on. "Maaya-chan can actually be quite sweet once the heat has passed ne?" She said and petted the cat which rolled over so she can have access in lovelier places (particularly her stomach). The men felt the oddest combination of humour and terror.

The men looked at each other to find a silent verdict. It was unanimous. "Sorry, but we can't risk it." Hajime said before taking off his bow and handing it to her. Gon stared at it before beaming in understanding.

Hajime smiled. "At least let us pay you back."

**…**

They arrived in town in an uproar. At first cheers when the men entered the town beaming, and then they saw the strange teenage girl and the beast right behind her. A lot of people stood back then, until Hajime declared the beast no longer lethal (_so long as it's with the girl,_ he added in his mind) and just like that the scared stares transformed into ogles.

Hajime asked his wife to add one more plate for dinner later that night, as well as but extra amounts of meat for the black lion. His wife seemed like a kind and supportive woman, and she trusted her husband greatly. She did as she was told. Not to mention his 5 year old daughter Lily was very cute. And Gon, being loved not only by animals but also by children, had won the small girl's affections almost immediately.

Hajime swore the two had floating flowers around them and felt the oddest sense of fatherly pride. Maybe he'd make another baby just like Gon. "Now, while we wait for dinner." He paused as he watched his daughter hug Gon's leg. "Gon. Why don't we do that archery lesson I owe you?"

And so, Gon's archery lesson began. Interestingly, he whispered something about teaching his nephew when he was younger but then, he added bitterly, he's in some country getting ready for a voyage to the Dark Continent. "Stupid boy's going to die and leave his newborn without a father."

"Oh? What's his name?" Gon asked out of curiosity. "I might meet him by chance."

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "You're going there?"

"I've lived there the past few years…" She said, shrugging, but did not take away her stare.

Hajime no longer commented.

"Anyway, his name's Pokkle."

"Pokke-san?" She exclaimed and Hajime stared at her at that. "We passed the Hunter's Exam together."

"Now that you mention it, it was one of those rare years where a lot of people passed. He said he got lucky. So you were one of the seven?" The old man continued batting an eyelid before laughing and crossing his arms in amusement. "Well then, small world."

She grinned.

"Enough about us." Hajime finally said after a companionable silence. "Have you handled other weapons?" He handed her a new bow, and she nodded.

"I have a staff." She said, though she hadn't mastered it enough to use it every battle. Still, it extended her reach and everyone knew close-range battles were her forte. Plus, it was made into a very conveniently portable weapon by Nanou.

She took the sort of tube-like item from her belt and pushed a button, immediately extending to a 5 feet long staff. She played with it a little as it went on with the remaining momentum due to its release.

"Well…" The man said, clearing throat. "That's cool."

"KEWL!" Lily exclaimed (the girl appeared out-of-nowhere) and the two adults laughed.

"Anyways. I'm sure this will help in your long-range battles. You're obviously the up-and-personal type." He paused and held his own bow to make a clean shot. "Shall we?"

Gon grinned. "Osu!"

**…**

The lesson went well. Relatively. Other than the fact that her accuracy beyond 10 meters was embarrassing, 'osu!' came by habit. It took her a little longer to remember the two people: Wing-san and Zushi, as well. She wondered how they were, then…

"Focus, kid!"

"Oh, hai!"

Gon easily mastered the form, and predicting the wind was a cinch. She could even recall those moments in the Hunter Exam, when she was preparing to take Hisoka's plate. At that thought, another wave of vague put-away memories crept up to her. It was so weird. It was like she had amnesia.

But that's just silly. For most part. If only she didn't have the feeling of something _missing_…

As she stared at the colourful concentric circles painted carelessly on the board, fleeting memories of the Hunter exam: trying to get those cans, and later the bird, using her rod.

_Her rod…_, she mused grimly, was nowhere to be found. She left it in Battera's place before she went into Greed Island. She would've left it at home if she knew that they wouldn't be returning to the man's mansion. Her mind automatically left that train of thought before she even _thought_ of remembering where they went when they exited the game.

She pushed the thoughts away for now and focused on the feeling. Although her targets using her rod never reached even half as far as she was being asked to do now, it was still far. The difference was that the rod was connected to her, and it would come back easily. An arrow had to be let go and left there.

She was suddenly feeling sentimental and sad and she didn't know why.

Her poor head could only handle so much.

"FOCUS!"

"S-Sorry!" And with that she let go of the arrow. And it was _so_ far off mark. "…_mou." _

Lily cheered on. Gon mused that whatever she did with the arrow, Lily would find it awesome. On the other hand, her father sighed. And he patted her shoulder. "Zenny for your thoughts?"

"I used to have a weapon. Sort of. Before the staff and this." She said, motioning for her bow. Hajime nodded for her to continue. "It's a fishing rod."

"A _fishing _rod?" Hajime thought this girl was so full of surprises, he really should stop getting surprised.

"Yeah. I lost it a while back, but I managed to do a lot of things with it—including passing the Hunters exam."

"That's impressive."

She nodded. "It's a good rod. It was my father's."

"Mind if I ask you where he is?"

"He's in the Dark Continent." "I just came back here for my birthday."

"Well then." He said, rolling his sleeves up, apparently ready to give more effort into this. "Consider great skill in archery be my birthday gift to you."

**…**

The next day, she bid her goodbye to the family, as well as the rest of the village. Many of the villagers seemed obviously relieved at the leaving of the beast. Hajime, however, was obviously having second thoughts on allowing her to go—especially alone, but he had a family to think of—

"Aren't you going papa?"

His eyes widened as he stared at Lily, tilting her head innocently. "Well?" She said. "She's near the gates now…"

"A-Ahh yeah." He said and hurried to the house to get his things. He called on to Gon, who beamed when he told her he was coming. The girl and the beast waited patiently by the gates, and before he went he lifted his daughter up and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to protect your Gon-neesan."

"Eh? She's obviously gonna protect _you_ papa." She smiled. "You just seemed like you wanted to go."

And that was that.

**…**

They arrived at the mansion after a few hours of walking. It was a baronial dwelling, Hajime said in awe… but he was also very nervous. Gon narrowing her eyes at the house, seeming to wait for something to happen and closely assessing it, which did not help his nerves at all.

"Something's not right." Yep, she just made it worse.

"What do you mean?"

She smelled death and, thinking she said so out loud, she began to run towards the gates to see what happened. Hajime yelled for her to take cover, in case there were snipers around. But Gon pushed on unwaveringly with Maaya. She nonchalantly unlocked the gate and went in, making Hajime scratch his head frantically at the utter carelessness of it all.

But then she turned back, her dire expression made Hajime stop. "I don't think there isn't anyone in there." She said bluntly. "Anyone alive, that is."

And after so many times he was thankful the girl was right, he really wished she was wrong this time. But she wasn't. There were many dead bodies around, bloodied, but oddly not brutal. They only had one wound, assuming they weren't hit by an ally's bullet, and that one would be the killing blow. Some didn't even _have_ wounds. They were just _dead_.

Hajime never voted for the rightness of murder, no matter the circumstance, but was it possible to kill someone and making it appear as an act of _grace?_

He shook his head at the thought and mused fearfully that this must have been an act of the devil.

The act was done by one incredibly skilled individual, Gon said, and if she was right again he'd do anything _not _to meet that person. But still, _one_? Definitely the devil.

He looked at Gon, she was becoming pale as they went in deeper. They've seen a half-a-dozen bodies so far—and they were just in the lobby. And to his surprise, Gon suddenly covered her mouth and ran to the nearest trash can.

"Are you alright?" He asked, a little surprise she was so fearful of bodies. But then again, who _wouldn't_?

"It's the smell. I have a strong nose." She said. The pungent smell of a room filled with blood and decaying bodies was too much to take.

"I see…"

In any case the three continued on their way, following Maaya—who was very interestingly managing to ignore the bodies and go for the goal: Her partner. This particularly impressed Hajime, and Gon knew he finally understood.

Thankfully, the scent of dead bodies diminished as they went down. Hajime mentioned it was probably because the killer targeted the high-ranking officers and their guards, everyone just scattered away, afraid to return.

Many animals were left there, and they saw the massive Black Lion, in a cage that must have been 2 stories in height. Gon watched as Maaya ran to the cage and used her own body to hit it. Gon knew it was futile, the girl would only hurt herself.

"Maaya." She called calmly and the cat stopped. Gon walked towards what seemed to be the control panel and found a 'release all' button. She watched the pair reunite and her heartstrings were plucked in what felt like so many times, and in so many _ways_.

Hajime could only watch in awe as Gon climbed up a random surface and ordered the animals to calm down. He remembered an old saying: 'Good Hunters are loved by animals'. He no longer heard much of it, now that hunters were so rare, but he didn't doubt its validity. Watching Gon amongst the pacified wild animals, he thought that just didn't think they'd be _this_ loved.

In any case, Gon and Hajime eventually returned to the village to tell them of the situation, and the verdict was that a proper arrangement would be made for the animals to be returned back to their respective habitats, or at least somewhere similarly fitting.

"Thank you for this." Hajime said, extending one of his hands, while holding his proud daughter's hand with his other. "I'm sure the animals think the same way." Gon smiled and shook her head, alternately looking at the village people as well as the animals who willingly went into their respective cages.

"No problem." She said. But this time Hajime decided to point out an observation ever since Maaya and her mate reunited.

"There seems to be something bothering you."

At the question, her eyes gravitated towards the Lions and Hajime understood it had something to do with the animals.

She couldn't help it. Her mind kept going back to the silver-haired Killua every time she saw the two lions, or even the specific _cage _that separated them before. It was so odd. But she realized that the feeling wasn't alien at all. She _knew_ this feeling…

It was the feeling her dreams roused.

Her eyes widened at the thought and she turned immediately to Hajime, who flinched at the sudden attention. She didn't really understand everything—she _couldn't—_but her gut was telling her everything would be clear if Killua would stop_ lying_.

Her expression changed from that of shock by realization to one of calmness. Hajime could only stare in a mix of astonishment, disbelief, and skepticism as she asked her question.

"Do you know where the Zoldyck family lives?"

.  
**.  
END OF CHAPTER 6**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 7: Island x Lies x Doors**

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Trizsh15 – **Aww glad I managed to make your day better. Seriously, having no electricity sucks. In my place there were too many rotational blackouts afterwards! xD Thx for reviewing btw!

**LittleChomper- ***pats back* I'm so sorry for doing that to your heart. It was something I had to do LOL. And yep~! This chapter is _somewhat_ light hehehehe. And of course, thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Guest [july 18 2014] **– And thank _you_ a billion times for reading and reviewing! I wanted to say my condolences for getting locked out, but I guess I'll just say I was glad I miraculously helped. *brohug*

**Kira Okami **– Haha, I apologize for the weirdness I do to you guys! Forgive me? xDD And thank you for reviewing! Super glad to know you love the story and my writing~! 3

**Jonica77**- Lol IKR the world should be nicer! xD And yay! Glad you still liked it despite it being so short. This one's almost twice as long so hope it's fine~ And thx for reviewing~

**KG-Ai –** You mean the noisy pair? Hehehe If so I agree! Let's ship them together. xDD And oh we do still have those rotating brownouts that happened a few days after we got electricity back. It was sooo depressing. xD And thx for reviewing~!

**Mytiaaa – **Thank you for reviewing~! I'm glad you still liked the chapter despite it being sooo short. This one's a lot tonger (twice I think) so I hope I'm forgiven. Huehue

**Yuki Candy Heart-** Yay! I'm so glad you found the chapter amazing (despite its disappointing length) And here's the next one! Hope you enjoy and thx for reviewing~!

**Digilover23- **Likewise, I'm so happy _you're_ happy! xDD And banzaii for the pair~! And awww… I'm touched by how you love my story and I'll try to make the chapters worth your affections more and more. xD And thank you for reviewing!

**Dolce-tasie –** hahaha wohoo! Super glad to know you liked the chapter. xD And oh! The name of the LeorioxNeon pair is Noisy pair. Come on, get aboard the ship! xDD And thank you for reviewing btw~

**Denizen of the night**- LOL to diminish your suffering I'll tell you what I mean by my meanness is that I'll be dragging the memory thing. xD (I apologize in advance!) And the questions will be answered soon! I outlined those a while back already. And thank you for the review! *brofist*

**Marc – **Ohhhh Hi kabayan! It's great to know you're doing well after the calamities. Yolanda and Glenda are both terrible storms. *hugs* Glad I helped and thank you for reviewing!

**Retz - ** Hahahaha. Oh my you have a very active… social-slash-love life! xDD Out of curiosity, how old were you when all this happened? Hehe. Anyway, thank yoooooooou for commenting~! Glad you liked the chapter!

**Starlovers-** Well you associated me with cheese so I am sooo hoping you have a good thing going with cheese! xD And give me that Gon and Killua plushie! LOL. Oh and thank you for reviewing and so happy you loved the chap!xD

**Grapes-** Awww~ Thank you for reviewing! I'm super happy to know you thought it (and I) was wonderful! xD And glad you liked the meeting as well! *CHEERS*

**drawingRAMPAGE – **Oh my~ One of the things you look forward to weekly? I'm flattered! *brohug* And I'm super glad to know you liked the chapter and my characterizations kya~! And oh~ I'm happy to reply, I can't feel comfortable if I don't. You people are too fabulous to ignore. xD And thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Esperanz – **Awww super sorry it was short! This chap is a bit longer (almost double) so I hope I'm forgiven. xD Oh, actually, (yes you can kill me) Meruem was never born. Ging and the others dealt with them in 'Beginnings' before more humans (other than the two kids, which became ants) were killed. xD Thank you for the review and glad you liked the chap! xD

**Pitou77 –** Well no worries~ Welcome back! xDD Oh and partly, they were testing him but they wouldn't mind Kurapika dead. He's Mafia lord and a Zodiac now, people are bound to hate him. xD And thanks for reviewing btw! :D

**Slytherin Studios –** Thank you for reviewing~! :D And yes, I hope she remembers too. Well she'll only lag in remembering poor Killu. xD /shot

**Guest [july 19 2014] –** hello again Bunny~ xD Haha. This chap's longer than the previous so I hope I can be forgiven! xD Oh and aaww, you're so sweet. Glad this is one of your all-time faves and I'll do my best. Thx for the review too! :D

**Guest [july 19 2014] #2 **– Hello there lovely reviewer-san! Super glad you like my writing and YES I shall do my best to keep it up. xD And can I know what I can call you? Would be great if I can call you other than Guest-san. xD

**Minerbbi – **Yeah let's hug Killua for now cuz' the grand yinyang pair kiss will take a while. xD And yes~ Kurapika will have a tiny chance there. ;) Thx for reviewing btw!

**Darlingfedz - **Awww *blushes* thank you for saying all those compliments! Glad you liked the chapter too! I'm super happy you think so. xD Oh, and of course, thank _you_ for reading and reviewing~! :DD

**Kawaiishiella –** hahhaha. You're _that_ mad at Killua?! xD Well, I don't blame you esp. when the grand kiss won't be happening soon. /shot Thank you for reviewing btw! ;)

**NariGray –** I think I updated a little longer than last time now tho. I was busy but the longer chapter, I hope, will be my ticket of redemption. LOL. And thank you for reviewing~ ;)

**CursedXQueenXDoll -** *runs around in circles with you* because I'm glad you love my stories and me being a fave author of yours. xDD Oh and yes OF COURSE they'll kiss…eventually…just not so soon ORZ. Thx for reviewing btw! xD

**Mona Kleine- **Ahahah. Don't worry I have someone for Kura. Won't reveal that in a long while tho. /shot. And what does F.A. mean? XDD Sorry. Hihi. And of course, thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Chani - ***random* It's cute how Word autocorrects your name to 'chain' *wiggles eyebrows* Anyway, super glad you liked the chapter as well! xDD And thannnkk you for reviewing~

**Chess – **That's sweet! I hope I don't make you change your mind about me being a good author and love triangles. LOL. I'll try my best and thank you for reviewing! :D

**Yorumi1 – **Hhahah IKR. A bad time for Gon to be Gon because poor Killua's suffering. xD Glad you liked the chapter, even with its length, and thank you for reviewing! ;)

**SerenadePanda –** Yep they will! Altho fortunately the most angsty chapter I can think of has passed already. xD And don't worry everything will fix themselves _eventually _lol. Glad you liked the chapter even with its shortness, and thx for reviewing! xD

**Ot4ku-girl –** I know I know forgive me? XDD They'll end up together anyway, let's just drag it out a little. xD Oh and the mild love triangle will be arriving soon! Hahaha and thank you for reviewing! And thanks for loving the story. ;)

**Phoenix-Thunder **– Well August is near! We're so totally hoping you update soon! *stares at you deeply* XD And haha I'm so mean for doing this to Killua. Let's just go and hug him K? haha Thx for reviewing btw!

**FattyKitty- **Oh hi~ Welcome to the story then~! xD And no worries~ The yinyang pair will have a happy ending. Oh, and I'll reveal more on Mito and Illumi next chapter. ;) Thanks for reviewing! :D

**Apo D – **Thank you for reviewing~! Glad you liked the chapter, thank you for reading, and here's the next one! Hahah Hope you like it too. xD

**Kyouno-aru – **Wait you're reading on a bus? That's cool! I wish I can too. Anywho sorry I made you cry on a public place! Am I forgiven for giving out a semi-hopeful cliffhanger? XD Thx for reviewing btw~

**XxHunterxX- **Aww thank you for reviewing! :D I'm super glad you think the chap was amazing and I hope you're resurrected soon, seeing as you died. xD Hope you liked the chap btw! :D

**Apoloni18- **Thank _you_ for reading and reviewing~! And awww—I love you too! *brohugs*

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…

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**Thank you for reading everyone! **

**I hope you enjoyed the chap, but **_**whatever**_** you think  
please write them below! :D **


	7. Island x Lies x Doors

**THANK YOU FOR READING GUUUYSSSS! *Hands over cookies* Especially those who showed their support. *hugs* **

**Please read~ :D**

**AD: **For those who hasn't seen it, I drew a Guardian pair fanart (MitoxIllumi). Just google **Mito Illumi Nispedana. **And I hope it helps with the visualization of the pair! xDD

**WARNING: **A long chapter BUT is comprised of 70% Guardian Pair and, well, _0% Yinyang_. You've been warned! Sorry. There are just some issues that needed to be shown before I get back on that train. AND I realized, after skimming through the outlines, the next two or three chapters will have very few Yinyang moments and more on the circumstance built-up (is there such a thing? I do not know, but it _must_ be done xD).

_Anyway_, as always, I hope this was nice enough for me to still deserve the love of my precious readers. xD

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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**...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: Island x Lies x Doors **

WHALE ISLAND

In an island located in the northern seas of the Yorbian continent, deep dark eyes watched a familiar woman hum as she did her chores. It followed her wherever she went; Eyes that were so lifeless that anyone wouldn't think there was anything going on behind those eyes _but_ bad things.

Perhaps they were right, perhaps they weren't. One was simply never certain with Illumi Zoldyck.

He did admit that in many ways the light-haired woman was as bright as the sun. But this time—unlike years prior, he added with a cringe—he didn't bother to stare away.

In his current position, standing still hidden within the forests' overarching shadows, he was reminded of events five years ago. He was never supposed to get close to her, his mission was to make sure they didn't get in the way. He was even ready to place his nen needles into their heads and make them forget who they were.

It had been a long time since then, and much had changed. Illumi was fairly certain it changed for the worst.

And like this, it all began with observation:

_5 Years Ago_

_He watches her and her mother for days, once or twice a month._ _That year there are an unusual number of jobs in the continent, so he decides to buy a suite and live in York Shin whenever it is practical. Unfortunately for now, 'practical' means living close to his target. _

Silently, under the comfortable shade of rustling trees, he remembered the bargain he struck with Killua. He might have preferred to use his nen ability to make everything easier, but decided against using it. It was not a wise decision to alienate his brother away from him even further.

However, as someone who always went throught with his threats when his conditions weren't followed (the words he said to his brother were no exception) he was very much ready on acting upon his threat… particularly due to the fact that his father mysteriously didn't let that girl die.

That meant she was still a potential danger to the Zoldyck legacy.

And the measures he was taking wasn't particularly unreasonable.

But for some reason, the visits that used to be once or twice every month became something he did every week—as if there was something new he had to watch, to catch…, to _study_. But Illumi chose not to dwell on those thoughts and focused on the task at hand. He was still managing to finish all his other missions anyway.

Illumi kept his distance, watching closely, unconsciously learning all of their routines… until one day, an odd eagle landed on her terrace—the one she hung clothes on twice a week. It took her a while to do anything but stare at it. Illumi remembered the moment well, because it was one of the first times he openly thought of her as feckless.

It was around then that she realized something was on the bird's leg and, gingerly taking it off the bird's legs, brightened up with an amazed smile. _"It's a letter!_" She yelled as if she never received one before (which he thought was quite a waste of energy).

But then she exclaimed it's source.

"_It's from Gon!"_

Naturally, he decided to check it out, not quite having a good feeling about making direct contact with his targets. It wasn't that they're strong, but his instincts told him they were threats. But threats meant little when it came to his brother and his family, so he continued walking to the bar.

Seeing the few stares he received upon entering, he surmised that he still stood out, even when he was wearing normal clothing, which he found uncomfortably light. He decided to pretend to be a bar's costumers and ignored the stares. He mentally took note of their faces so he'd kill them later.

He sat on one of the most inconspicuous spots in the place which, granted the lighting and the boisterousness of everyone, wasn't much. The atmosphere was making him frown, cringe even, as invisible as any sort of movement he made could be.

He didn't get surprised often, and when he did get surprised he usually handled it well. It was particularly odd as the only times he was in a bar was when his target was there: the sort that usually die on the spot. And those bars were for the elite. Looking around, he'd describe the place as primitive.

Regardless, he was Illumi Zoldyck. And he would certainly see it through.

Still, he would muse hours later that he could have handled the situation better.

He could have waited for them to fall asleep so he could take a look at the letter himself. Even if he didn't know where she would place it, which is likely somewhere pretty obvious anyway, the simple minded idiot that she was. And if that failed (which he doubted), he could always use her needle to get her talking. There wasn't even a rule that he had to be hidden—he could've threatened her openly and get it all over with.

But there was always something holding him back. Somehow, somewhere during that six months of observation, he began to wonder what was making her so bright. He did not like the thought as he was not some sort of moth that to be attracted to the light. Particularly since everyone knew what would happen after.

Still, he thought he was so much more than a mere moth, so this person was not going to be a danger._ He wasn't a fool like his brother._ Perhaps he wanted to prove that. Not that he ever had any doubt, of course.

It was around that moment when a horizontally-abundant man with an unkempt beard stood from the adjacent table, and stood imposingly (well, at least the man _thought_ so) in front of him. For a moment Illumi read the atmosphere as hostile. "Well, _you're_ new." The man said, before laughing and crossing his arms. "A small town like this one—we don't see many new folks around." He said with a grin. "So who are you and where ya' from?"

At least he didn't stand out for no reason, after all.

"I am a simple traveler." He said concisely, using his disinterested tone effortlessly. He got a raised eyebrow in response as the man the plump man was drinking with found another person to chat with.

"_That_'s hard to believe." The man said, casually sitting on the chair in front of him, as if Illumi wanted to continue the idle chat. But all Illumi thought was that the man had no sense of personal space.

Illumi didn't answer the man's inquiries after that and pretended he wasn't there, which wasn't hard, and the man seemed to have more sense than his appearance suggested—because he only scoffed at his behavior and returned to his boisterousness on the adjacent table.

Illumi allowed his eyes to wander around the bar again, and his eyes ended at the bar and saw her mother was the bartender. Illumi found himself looking at the door, monotonously musing how lazy the younger woman was to make her mother do all the work.

Hours passed and everyone else was already unconscious on the table or the floor. Still, there was no sign of _that_ woman. And he didn't even think her mother approached him until she was already walking to his table. "Do you want anything to drink, young man?"

"No." He politely apologized and stood up.

As he walked away from the house-turned-bar, however, he found his head turning to look back. The moon was bright then, at such a height it looked bigger. He saw her, then—or her _silhouette_, rather—in the balcony, sitting on her rocking chair. From what he could see she was blankly staring at the sky.

He pushed the curiosity away.

And so he went on his way.

.

The next day, so early in the morning he found himself glaring at his phone. There seemed to be a storm nearby, so his blimp would be a day late. Just when he was eager to leave the island, he was trapped there. _Brilliant._

So to pass the time, he ended up in the bar again. This time it was mostly cleared of hung-over men.

"Welcome, Sir!" She said as he opened the door. She was smiling, but this one didn't reach her eyes. Once again, Illumi had to push his unnerving curiosity away.

"I'd like some whiskey please."

"Oh, okay. Please wait a moment."

He watched as she tried looking for the whiskey. It took her a few seconds. She was obviously distracted. Then the door opened revealing the old woman who looked visibly pleased when she saw him. "Oh, young man!" She said, voice rising slightly. "You're back."

"Mother?"

"Oh. This young man was here last night." She laughed. "The only man sober."

Illumi did not react and only waited for his drink. "You seemed distracted."

"Eh? Me? I'm—"

"She is." The older woman intervened, earning herself a disbelieving stare from her daughter. "My grandchild was apparently with her father in a far away land." She said sadly, but there was obviously a further motive for telling him this. He figured that out a few minutes later.

"My daughter is quite lonely." She said with an empathic frown on her face. "She could use a friend."

"_Mother!" _

And as unnerved as he was, he found it to be the perfect opportunity to keep track of the girl's whereabouts. So, he ended up cracking a smile (he literally felt his muscle crack). "I'd be honoured, actually."

The woman gaped at him in shock, while her mother only clasped her hand together in glee.

Illumi, on the other hand, thought in retrospect that it was one of the worst mistakes he ever made.

**…**

He introduced himself as Illumi Walker, in case she wrote to Gon about him. After all, her father seemed to have a connection with his. He'd rather not allow that issue be an even bigger problem. The women, in turn, introduced themselves. They described the girl, _Gon, _in a way that he would describe Mito (he'd take a lot of getting used to referring to her by her name). The main differences were that the younger one was a lot more reckless and, of course, stronger.

The way Mito talked about the girl made him feel a little more interested. And then she began implying (likely unconsciously) about her guilt about withholding the girl from her father, and how she wished she never went with him.

"I have a younger brother." He said, partly not knowing what made him say it, but also knowing it was a good way to build rapport. _I have done many things for him_. "I will do anything for him."

Her eyes widened a little as she stared, and she had to clear her throat when she forced her eyes away. "That's… admirable." She said. And that was that.

**…**

Gon's subsequent letters comprised of very hard-to-decipher drawings of what seemed like animals. She seemed to be having fun—happy—and Illumi skillfully ignored Mito's pondering about the letters absolutely being Killua-less. "I wonder if they're alright." She whispered then, and her next words would ring in his ears until the present. "They seemed like they'll be destroyed if they were apart."

Then she shrugged. "I'm probably over-thinking. She probably assumes there's no need to tell me about Killua."

Illumi didn't say anything. Mito just assumed she said everything in her head.

**…**

Many months passed, and through them he found it more difficult to leave. He kept telling himself that it was because he was afraid to miss a lead. To his chagrin, some of her friends even began speaking with him more, definitely forcing him to muster more energy than was necessary.

That old man who approached him in the bar, so much time prior, introduced himself as the fisherman who always went to the bar whenever he was in the island. "I pay for my drinks by supplying the ladies ample amounts of seafood," he grinned as he told him once, the annoying plump. "Especially now that Gon-chan's not around to fish for them."

"Hmn." He said disinterestedly, but to his surprise, the man laughed and patted his back. He even looked _proud,_ and this made Illumi raise a very puzzled eyebrow.

"It's good you became friends with Mito!" The old man announced. "You're more responsive now!"

Illumi wondered when he'll finally get to kill this man.

The man continued to tug on his beer, and put it down with so little placidity that half of the beer probably was on the table. He carelessly wiped the liquid on his cheek. "Had to admit boy." He said and Illumi was suddenly very tempted to take out a needle right then and there. The plump man'd be dead in an instant, and people would just think he'd had an abrupt heart attack.

"Mito's really something." And he laughed. "To tame a man like yourself."

There weren't a lot of things that scared Illumi Zoldyck, but that thought was one of them.

**…**

For a time he returned to the shadows, and he lessened the time spent on the island. The fisherman was already away towards the adjacent seas to catch a legendary fish they have been discussing in the bar for a while, lucky bastard.

As time passed, however, he had to begrudgingly admit that the woman had somehow gotten under his skin. _Sly_, he mused, but decided not to dwell on that further. Now that he found out what the problem was, there wasn't any way he'd have to make the same mistakes again.

.

"I wonder where Illumi is." She said, one day when he decided to be near the house and within earshot of conversations. "It's been so many months since he hadn't shown."

"Do you miss him, child?"

"Eh?" There was silence, but it was one of the few times Illumi could hear his own heartbeat. Then, as abruptly as it came, the silence disappeared the moment Mito opened her mouth. "Miss him, eh?" She paused, and even without seeing her face he knew she was smiling.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

…

Illumi never intended to act on those 'feelings'—he'd rather call them _impulses_—he was planning on shutting them down. Illumi honestly had little doubt he could manage that. And if the worse came? He'd just use his needles on himself.

But then on one fateful day, two years prior, it poured strongly and suddenly on the island. He never really bothered looking for shade, he was immune to _anything_. But he saw her trying desperately to take all of her laundry back to dry air and decided a little less cold wouldn't be so bad.

He helped and, when Mito saw how drenched he was, he silently noted his decision to wear normal clothing that day. At least his usual outfit was waterproof.

And a few minutes later he found himself in one of the rooms, half-naked, because his clothes were all wet and they feared he'd have hypothermia. His body wasn't even shaking, being impervious to any sort of illness, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't bad to see that woman fret worriedly over him, anyway.

The knock came and he uttered an assurance. It was _her_, of course. "Here's the shirt—" She stopped when she looked at him, unconsciously eyeing his exposed skin, and turned red. She closed her eyes and handed him his shirt. "Dinner's going to be ready soon!" She said, almost yelling, and shutting down the door.

Or she attempted to.

He closed the door before she could get out and whispered a "Thanks" (he ignored her face that was very puzzled how he got there so quickly), before letting the door go.

But contrary to what he thought she didn't scuttle to leave. She stayed and turned to face him—they were suddenly so close now— she was looking at him in awe. "You look really nice when you smile like that."

"I always smile."

She shook her head. "Those were polite smiles."

He stared at her stoically trying to tell her she was an idiot with his mind, but she smiled back instead. "You should try it more often—c'mon, it's not _that_ bad."

"My muscles can only do so much."

She laughed. He never made anyone laugh before. He should be offended. "I think your muscles will be very capable."

He realized he wasn't offended, after all. And if his face was normal he would be smirking. "Is that so?" He said, and his eyes told her everything.

Her eyes moved downwards by reflex and she stuttered immediately. "E-Eh? I mean—"

It was that moment that he shut her up by placing his lips on hers. Her eyes looked as if she was in a daze when it was over, then she caught his stare and fumbled again, this time leaving the room for real.

Staring at the door, he licked his lips, liking the taste. _He mused at the time that he could get used to that. _

**…**

Returning to his position of observation. He knew he succeeded in that respect—he got close to her and he _did _get used to her taste. For years she believed nothing was wrong with him. She still barely knew anything of him. She thought he was a travelling businessman who was fond of taking vacations, she thought he lived in an apartment in Yorkshin (he technically _was)_, and she believed that he wouldn't hurt a fly.

Illumi thought Mito had never been so wrong in her life.

_A fool,_ he thought, much like her niece.

But now the girl was coming back home, probably to ruin everything. It wasn't that he feared he would be recognized—his needle took care of that. But there was still a chance she'd _feel_ something that would reveal many memories.

In any case, if _something_ went wrong—then chances were, he'd have to kill a lot of people.

Mito wouldn't be an exception.

…

Returning to the present, Illumi silently came out from the shadows and revealed his presence to her. If she could still determine which smile was polite and which ones were genuine, she never really pointed it out again.

"Illumi!" She yelled, giving him a hug. He noted that her hair got a little longer, but not long enough for her to lose comfort. She let go and upon inspecting his face her eyebrow furrowed to one of worry. She took out the handkerchief in her pocket. "My goodness. You're sweaty!

"Will you ever consider letting me cut your hair?" She asked (he lost count how many times she asked of it. "It's pretty and all but so impractical!"

He refused all the time simply because he didn't want to give her anything she wanted of him. It would be foolish of him to do so. Him giving her so much of his time was enough sacrifice on his side. Pride or stubbornness one could call it, it didn't really matter. It was all geared for self-preservation.

But then… he realized it _was_ getting warmer around the globe, so he didn't think there was any harm in being comfortable for himself. He was going to do this for himself and not for her, he reminded himself.

"I suppose I can."

Mito looked at him skeptically before beaming. And he was forced to sit down on a chair afterwards.

.

"Finished!"

"You're quick." And she was. She was probably used to cutting her own hair short. As he looked in the mirror, he was reminded of what he looked like a decade prior.

"It's not a problem. You're the perfect person to do haircut on. You're so still." She laughed. "Gon was so flinchy I don't even want to remember how many hours it took." "Anyway, what do you think?"

"I think it's nice." He said, almost blurting out his own thoughts about his old hair. He stopped himself because once again he was reminded of how little she knew of him—and how it should stay that way.

"I'm glad." She said, putting both her palm on his cheek and smiled proudly at her work. "You need to lighten up sometimes, you know."

Once again, he wondered just how little she _truly_ knew of him.

**…**

They were heading down for lunch (they'll be serving his favorite, she added, since he'd be leaving that same night), when they hear a familiar caw. Mito immediately lightened up even further and ran back to the railings to meet the bird. Slightly anxious, he trudged to stand beside Mito as she read. He didn't read it, but he only watched her expression.

Her light got so dim, and he found himself cursing Gon even more before he even realized that he did so. "How is Gon?"

She sighed sadly. "She seemed to have work to do." Mito sighed. "She'll be a week late. She promised to be in time for her birthday though."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm a little disappointed." She forced a smile. "But I have several more weeks with her! How can I complain?"

He smiled with his eyes, although it was invisible to a person other than Mito. "That's good." He said, albeit she did not know what he was actually referring to.

"Time to tell mother." She mumbled dejectedly a few moments later and once again headed to the stairs. However, as they went from tread to tread, he saw her stop abruptly, her muscles tensing. He heard a gagging sound and she ran to the nearest restroom. He was immediately next to her and patted her back.

"You're sick?"

She nodded, wiping her mouth clean with the nearest towel. "It started four days ago, when I ate this uhmm… plate of shellfish. I think I'm getting diarrhea too—" She laughed and he wondered if she was a masochist—laughing while in pain. But instead, he felt something boiling inside of him.

"Who gave you the plate?"

"Oh just an old fisherman friend of ours—" It was that fat man, no doubt, the one who was arrogant enough to approach him all those years prior. Coincidentally, a man he had wanted to kill quite a few times. At least he wouldn't have trouble tracking him down—

Mito turned her head to him and her smile disappeared. She stared at him for a while, before gulping, and moving her body to face him and held his face. "Calm down Illumi." She said as calmly as she could, but her eyes were full of fear and anxiety. She was skillful to push her fears down and approached him anyway.

"I'm sure he meant no harm." She smiled and once more she roused carnal desires inside him that once terrified him—the useless and unpredictable instincts that they were. But the longer he was with her the less foul they seemed. He started embracing them…, and Illumi leaned down and she turns her head away mumbling about the fact that she just _puked_.

He wondered what his face showed to make her look at him like that—_fearful—_but he doubted she'd be as brave if she found out what he did for a living. And why he got close to her in the first place.

He placed his lips on hers, anyway.

_Mito would never have to know._

**…**

Meanwhile, outside of the raven-haired Zoldyck's knowledge, right on the docks of the same island…, a certain acting-Mafia lord finally stepped into the island. One filled with memories. He allowed his cerulean orbs to travel from the boat's wooden surface to the port. Not much had changed, he mused, only the shops were more dilapidated than they were.

And then, walking deeper into the island, he ended up by the river—and a familiar vision of a young girl sleeping on a boat came to mind. It wasn't a clear picture, but he remembered the feeling and sensations well. Unconsciously, he had already known he met a very influential person, and was honoured to have experienced so.

His hands involuntarily formed a fist, and he gave out a nervous smile which was carried by the sea's gentle breeze. He wasn't able to move much for the minutes that followed.

How was he supposed to move? When his chest was beating so loudly?

**…**

_Doki Doki Doki_

Gon Freecs held her chest at the loudening sound of her heartbeat. She was feeling an intense mixture of nerves and anticipation, and she wondered once more what she was doing on another continent, so many miles away from home.

She was now standing in front of a huge wall that had some tiered pattern to it, looking almost like an auditorium seen from above.

"It's _huge!_"

"Amazing!"

And another set of exclamations of awe (many of which became expletives due to emotion) was heard in front of the gates. Gon arrived by tourist bus, and she partly regretted it. She wanted to concentrate, and her inhuman hearing was making it all the more difficult for her to do so.

She couldn't deny that it felt familiar here, she thought as she tuned out all the noise surrounding her. Even the tour guide seemed to have a moment of recognition when she saw her, albeit the woman just shrugged it off. And yet… she simply_ couldn't_ recall any memories of her being there at all.

At that moment of loss of concentration she began hearing the tour guide explaining this to her customers. She said the door was the 'gateway to hell', and said it with such pride that Gon wondered if she was one of the people who made the door.

The brunette also mumbled something about fact that the small red door on the gate's left side was not the actual door to the estate. She herself witnessed many deaths of those who tried to crossed it—even describing the gruesome scene of a hairy gigantic beast revealing its hands, carrying skeletons of brave men she had spoke with only minutes prior.

She claimed that the actual door was the patterned wall beside it. The guide received a few murmurs there, a mixture of awe and skepticism. For some reason, though, Gon believed her. And asGon assessed the door, her eyes ended on what seemed like a guard house below it.

There was an old man reading newspaper. Gon watched him as he turned the pages and he eventually seemed to have felt her stare, because he put down his paper and his eyes moved to where hers was. However, the moment their eyes met, the old man's eyes widened.

He looked as if he just saw a ghost, and that part was what surprised her the most.

The man quickly went out the door and her own feet moved on their own to meet him. He looked very familiar, that man _did_, but once again she couldn't find in her memory a hint of an image of the man. At this point, she didn't really think much of it anymore. But then he called her name.

"Gon-chan?" He mumbled, a mix of relief and pride surging through. "Oh my goodness." _How much she'd grown!_

"Hai?" She uttered quietly. "You know my name?" She asked, just in case. The old man stared at her in response, analyzing her and her words, and she allowed him to.

Zebro, on the other hand, was in shock. He knew something must have happened to Gon when Killua-sama's return alone with his family looking so _empty… _But to be _forgetten_?

She wasn't dead as he feared, but inside he wondered which one was actually more painful.

He shook his bald head and pointed at the familiar tourist guide. "Oh. I heard the girl over there say your name."

The said girl was calling on to her (not her name, because he had a feeling she never told her that) but she said she'd stay anyway. Gon returned her sights back at him. She was frowning, poor girl, and he knew it was one of those instances she could tell he was lying. "You know me, don't you?" It was not a question. "Please tell me."

Zebro stared at her for a long moment, and she defiantly stared back. Her eyes were as bright and determined as he remembered. At the same time, he was cruelly reminded of how stubborn she could be. So, in the end, he could only nod in defeat.

However, that did not mean he'd allow her to throw herself carelessly into the pit filled with spikes. "You don't remember me for a reason." He paused. "It is wise not to act on it unless you're certain of what was happening."

"But how will I_ know_ if I don't get in?" She asked cheekily and motioned for the small red door below the larger one. "Please!"

He wasn't surprised at the defiance, nor did he expect her to give up after only a few words. He did, fortunately, know she wasn't as selfish as one would surmise. His back slumped and he adopted the dejected look of a weak old man. "It didn't occur to me that you're the sort to get an old man to lose his job."

"…"

Zebro felt an arrow of guilt then and there for making her look like that (he mused Killua-sama probably _would_ shoot him if he saw). But truth hurts, and he knew that he had to be harsh on her—otherwise she'd continue begging him to let her _die_. "I suggest you look for answers elsewhere… or just get past it and move on." He said austerely, even with the façade he just adopted.

"For both our sakes I hope it's the latter."

Gon looked down on the ground, disappointed.

_What was she going to do?_ She asked herself in befuddlement. It wasn't possible for her to do _nothing_ about these feelings—**no one** could. Who could live feeling so… lacking?

She had no idea how she managed it the past five years. And she had a feeling that Killua person had _some_ sort of answer to her problems. She was determined to find him—it _had_ to be done, no matter what.

She whipped her head back up and Zebro flinched. He knew that look. It meant trouble for the people who wanted to keep her safe. "But you _do _know who Killua is, don't you?"

He gulped, and then reluctantly nodded. Zebro saw no point in lying, not to _this_ young woman. "Yes." He finally said. "But anyone who will get close to the family will undoubtedly _die_, child." He emphasized, but at this point he had no energy to wear the mask of a weak old man. Killua-sama would no doubt want her to survive, who was he to fight against that?

Zebro looked at her gravely, and he watched as the beads of sweat crawled down her face. She was nervous, perhaps even intimidated… and that was good.

"If you want answers so much—go somewhere else." He said. "This estate has no place for nosy girls like you."

"But—"

Then Zebro let out a burst of aura to shoo her away. It wasn't that its power was too strong, but what frightened her was the _will_ that powered it. The old man really wanted her gone.

Gon didn't say anything else (at least nothing coherent came out) before she bowed her head as a shaky but polite thanks and tromped away from the estate.

But… somewhere along the way, she found herself giving it one last look. If it was a longing look or a depressed one, she couldn't tell.

All she knew was that she never disliked a door so much in her life.

.  
**.**  
**END OF CHAPTER 7**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 8: Unexpected x Circumstances x Rod  
**Wherein Killua and Kurapika will encounter very dissimilar sources of headaches in different parts of the globe.

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS **

**LittleChomper**- Thank _you_ for reading and reviewing! I really enjoyed writing it, glad you did too! And of course I looooove you too! Hahhaha *hugs* s

**A DUMB girl WITH a COMPUTER **– me too! I loved Ponzu as well. Totally shipped them. And then Togashi went to kill them. xDD Anyway, glad you liked my decision and thx for commenting~!

**Guest [Jul 29 2014] –** So Ringo-san it is then! Yoroshiku! xD And whoa! You reread that three times? My goodness I'm super flattered! *hugs* Thank you for all the time you gave the stories, and thank you for reviewing!

**Digilover23- **Thank you for reviewing! But alas! Gon won't be realizing for a while *sobs* too many characters around them had to be featured first. Sorry. About the ep, it depends on the version. I only watched the 1999. xD And I'll google kamigami right now! Hehe

**Yuki Candy Heart-** Yes indeed! But I'll probably disappoint on many expectations xD I warned of them in the beginning of the chap. Hope the chap's still nice tho! And thx for commenting~ :D

**Kawaiishiella**- Supremely happy you still think the previous chap was great! Thank you for reviewing, my friend! xD

**XxHunterzxX –** Oh my goodness I'm happy that you love the story so much! Means a lot to me. I hope I can keep it up, even with all these no-YY pair chaps, and thx for the review~

**Darlingfedz**- hahaha. First off, glad to see you on FB! Super nice to meet you in there *hugs*. And thank you for reviewing! I'm really glad that you like the story so far~! xD

**NariGray-** yay! Now gonna go ask for a forgiveness ticket because the whole reunion thing will take a while to happen. xD /shot. Hope it was a decent chap anyway and thx for the review! xD

**Strollingcat- **Thank you for reviewing~! xD And I reply to reviews from the previous chapter in the next one, so I'm replying to your review for ch6. ;) And continue from GI? Depends. The ants are already dealt with after all..

**Mytiaaa-** Yeah… Kurapika needs to smile more! Loved the Last Mission movie precisely because of that. Hahaha. No meeting with Nerys/Zoldycks this chap tho /shot. And thank you for reviewing ~! :DD

**Jonica77-** Yep! That assassin being Killua. xD Remember the mission he did just before Nerys' bros attacked? This is it. xD Thx for the review btw! Glad you liked it. ;)

**KG-Ai – **Yep~ Kura's just concerned as a friend. And the weapons are actually a symbol for 'new' things, I'll expand on those later. xD Oh, if you're expecting all that…, you'll probably be disappointed. Hope you like this chap anyway and thank you for reviewing!

**HibarxZhen- **Thank you for commenting! Here's the update, and I hope you're not disappointed! I just can't have her meet the family yet. xD

**Dolce-tasie –** Hey you, glad to see you again. xD Unfortunately, no Killua here! *sobs* hope it's a fine chapter regardless and thank you for reviewing~

**CursedXQueenXDoll **– hahah *punches air with you* (this is fun). And it's cool you mentioned the guardian pair! Here's their chapter, hope it's fine! And thank you for the review! xD

**SerenadePanda**- Hihihi indeed! Kurapika's sweet. Altho.. atm he's really just concerned for a friend. ;D And yep~ She can't quite meet the big enemies yet. xD We don't want this story to end so soon! Haha. Thx for the review btw! :D

**Denizen of the night**- Thank you for reviewing~! Glad it was a decent chapter despite being a little boring (this chapter is probably the same). xD Oh, unfortunately the memory loss is one of the few things I have left to write about. xD Hisoka and the Spiders don't appear until _way_ later. Hehe

**drawingRAMPAGE- **Dengue? Oh man that sucks. I caught that when I was in 4th grade (same room as my bro, who cried every single hour!) And I'm suuuper glad I somehow helped to make your day better! :D Happy you liked the chapter and of course I do my best to update regularly! You vocal readers of mine are too fabulous not to try.

**Grapes-** Thank you for reviewing! About seeing the family again to, it's a yes and a no. xD You'll see in this chap! Hehehe

**Esperanz**- hahahaha so glad you liked the chapter and even found it amazing! As for Illumi… well, you'll see soon enough. xD And I know I'm sorry! I loved those two as well, but events unfolded the way the had so.. hehe. Anyway, thank you for reviewing!

**Guest [jul 30 2014] a.k.a. Bunny **– Yay! Glad the chapter was good enough to redeem the prev. chap. xDD Thank you for reviewing and I will keep doing my best. And oh! I love you too~ Hihi

**Retz **– Well at least you have an exciting school life! That's something you can write about in the future. Hahah. Thank you for reviewing btw! Glad you liked the chap and _yes Pokkle is aliiive! _hihihi

**Tealovesreniaki- (ch1)** I know, I know. And to think _this_ chapter focuses on them Huehueheue** (ch2) x 2** /bows. Thank you so much as well for reading and reviewing and for lending me so much of your time! And YY pair FTW!Wohoo **(ch4) **Well, if you don't mind the amnesia thing getting dragged then yes! I'm glad I didn't torture you so much. xD **(ch6) x 2 **lol whoa! That's a huge compliment. xD Thank you for saying so! And no worries, I find your hyperactivity very cute. xD And oh! OF course youcan make a comic. I'll be honoured. And about the second review for the chapter, no worries! I don't think you're being over-dramatic at all. I'm actually super flattered. xD

**Trizsh15- **Thank you for reviewing! I'm soo glad I'm still managing to impress you. xD And oh my! I can tell you CA arc actually ends well (for me, anyway) and you should totally watch! Well at least if you don't want the next arc to get spoiled. xD

**Tochiome-chan – **Oh! Uhm.. *blushes* I'm glad you find my fics amazing. xD Thank you for reviewing and so glad to see you here again! *brohugs* (And children are afraid of you? Perhaps you're coincidentally stressed out when you're in the same room? XD)

**Phoenix-Thunder –** I'm counting the two weeks we talked about on FB! #noPressure huehue. Ah~The new weapons are symbols for the new things in her life. I'll expound on that later. xD Thank you for reviewing, btw~! :D

**Yorumi1-** It _does_ seem like that arc, no? Unfortunately, it isn't quite like that just yet. Hehehe. We should still cheer on Gon tho! And thanks for the comment!

**Mellowchan- **I know~! I'm itching to post a chapter where that happens. However, I'm quick to lose things to write about so… *sobs* Anyway, thx for commenting! :D

**Shiver-fire **– haha thank you for reviewing~! xD Oh, no need to apologize, but I _do_ want to hear from everyone who read. xD Hope the way I make her remember (and when lol) will be decent! xD

**Lexzly- **Hello kabayan~ I'm super glad you like my story. I have plans for Alluka, although they won't be shown so soon I hope they're fine. xD Thx for reviewing btw!

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…

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**Thanks for reading folks!**

**And as always, I would appreciate it if you give me a little bit more of your time  
and write on this fabulous box below! **


	8. Unexpected x Circumstances x Rod

**WARNING: **Things happened and other stuff happened to other characters. Also, this chapter will make some of you want to kill me. (Seriously.) xD But whatever you thought I would _love_ to know of them. They can be the usual love, they can be rants, heck they can be_ hate_—I just need to know you're still there, ne? ;)

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

…

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: Unexpected x Circumstances x Rod**

ZOLDYCK ESTATE

"You _what?!" _A certain Nerys Bloodsworth yelled at her older brothers, not quite knowing which emotion to control first: Anger or embarrassment. She knew she was _much_ stronger than most of them, but they weren't _stupid_.

But still…, it was no wonder she received a stronger-than-usual glare from him when he arrived the previous day. The memory of how her stomach fell was still fresh in her mind. "Nobody asked you to do that!"

"But he hurt you!" One of her brothers, the sweet Aaron who was the youngest of her brothers, yelled vehemently. She ended up unconsciously touching her bruising neck at his worlds. Regardless, she stood firm.

"He _threatened _me." She said, almost coaxing, but definitely on the border of snapping. "We do it **all the time**."

"That's different—"

"It is not." She said. Two of her brothers were silent, albeit looking very annoyed. Atom, the eldest, on the other hand didn't budge under her glare. He never did.

"You're defending him, little sister?" He _stated_ sardonically, things were rarely a question with him. Atom was strong—stronger than _her_, and that was saying something. It made her wonder how Killua got home without much damage if he went against all three of them.

However, she did not expect her brother's next statement. "That's not like the prideful Nerys we know and love." He paused, looking straight into her eyes—as if seeing through them. "Have you fallen for him already?"

She didn't answer at that, she _couldn't_.

It felt like her throat was congested all of a sudden. Judging by their expressions, she knew she gave the answer away, and she forced herself to calm down and utter _something_. "Just don't do it ever again." She said as coolly as she could. "We don't want to hurt our connections with this family." She mumbled and turned her head slightly away.

"Now, go home brothers."

.

They watched them leave one by one through the Balcony, with Canary then beside her. But before Atom jumped down he stood by the stone railing for a while and turned to look at Canary. "Canary-san?" He asked as if confirming whether he could address her as such. The girl didn't respond beyond a nod, and that meant an affirmative. "Can I please have one more moment with my baby sister?"

Nerys scoffed at this, while Canary did a dutiful bow. Nerys' emerald eyes followed the copper-skinned girl as she left the room, trying to delay the confrontation with her oldest brother. Too soon, the door closed and she had no choice but to face him. "What is it?"

"Haven't you wondered how we got beaten? And with minimal damage to everyone?" He asked, with composure that shouldn't be in there. In any case Nerys did wonder, so she didn't say anything, which equated to her asking him to continue.

Atom lifted a finger to make his point. "It's because we were rendered unconscious so quickly—it wasn't much of a fight."

Her eyes widened. She knew Killua was strong—but strong enough to do that to three top class assassins? "He—"

"He wasn't alone, Nerys." He cut her off. "He got help." "From a girl named Gon. Does the name ring any bells?"

_Doki_

Still, she refused to assume so quickly. For all she knew Gon was a common name. And so was interfering between duels. So she only allowed her eyebrows to furrow, and gulped. "Pardon?"

"She popped out of nowhere. They worked well together, and…" He paused, and his eyes obviously trying to pierce through her. "The ice prince didn't seem so frozen at the time."

And he was succeeding, to her chagrin. Whatever the case was, she did not like what she was hearing. "You're lying." She said. '_Gon is dead.' _Came as an afterthought.

Atom only shrugged. "Am I?" He said. "I don't really care either way. It's _your_ love life. You made it clear for us not to dwindle in it anymore." Atom then stood up in the railing again. "Just consider that one piece of information our last shot." He smirked, just before jumping.

"Take care, sis."

**…**

The two hours that followed that conversation was really challenging her sanity. It wasn't because she was asking Canary and other servants of information about Gon (they knew too little), but it was the fact that it was so… _difficult_ to keep her composure intact in the process.

She wondered if he was worth all this insecurity and instabilities.

She went from servant to servant that were known to be close to Killua. Gotoh was pretty useless, steadfastly stating it wasn't his place to speak behind his master's back. Useless bastard.

But eventually she got a chance to speak to Alluka, who was rarely alone when Killua was around. She was reluctant at first, but after a few more sets of failures she decided to risk it. She had been careful what to say, she had known all the warnings and happenings surrounding this girl, and it seemed only Killua was truly able to use her powers. Nobody really forced him to say anything, so no one knew anything more than the fact that they shouldn't even get close to the girl.

Fortunately, someone seemed to have taken a request and disappeared on her… so there wasn't any attempts of a request. "Alluka-chan~" She smiled, trying to build rapport to the most mysterious Zoldyck sibling. "Can I ask you things about your brother? When he first ran away six years ago?"

Alluka stared at her innocently, and Nerys' eyes twitched a little. (Who would've thought she was older than the graceful Kalluto?) Alluka was not much younger than she was, but she still looked no more than twelve, and acted even younger. Nerys was never fond of children.

However, despite her inherent dislike for children, she managed to remain cool. "I mean, you _were_ with him for some time right? Did you—"

She was cut off by Alluka shaking her head, and Nerys' eyebrows furrowed a little. "You didn't follow your brother outside?" She knew Kalluto followed Killua outside and joined the infamous Spiders, why would the older sibling—one much closer than the other—not bother running away as well?

Alluka shook her head. "I was locked inside a vault the whole time." She said without any hint of hostility. "And Illumi-niisan used his nen needles to make brother forget all about me."

It was then Nerys realized that her brothers attacking was likely not the cause of Killua's worsening mood.

…

It happened quickly, from the moment she realized his problems—she ended up in front of his room, and she did not bother knocking. She just opened the door and peeked in, her heart beating sounding so loudly that she could feel it vibrating in her ears.

But Nerys almost lost her footing at what she saw immediately afterwards: He was sitting slouched on his bed, elbows resting on his thighs, and his head buried heavily in his palms.

She never saw him with any sort of softness—let alone looking so _broken_.

Nerys walked in and stood in front of him. If he noticed her presence, he never said anything. But she knew he could also be too into a daze that he really _didn't_ notice her coming in. _So dangerous, _she mused, _falling in love_.

Nerys wasn't sure who it applied to more.

"Killua." She coaxed, touching his shoulders. He barely flinched, but he did not bother moving. "I'm sorry about my brothers. I swear they were just being overprotective of me."

He did not respond.

"So I heard you fought alongside someone."

_That_ made him flinch, and it made her frown deeply. Still, she forced herself to keep calm—especially after he stood up and transforming from a depressed boy to someone who easily towered over her.

"What of it?"

"I won't hurt her if that's what you were assuming." His face twitched, his jaw clenched, and it all told her he was thinking exactly that. "You don't have to assume the worst of me, Killua." She said as smoothly as she could. And if her life wasn't on the line, one would even call this a seduction.

"She has no memories of you at all, yes?" Another instantaneous change in his expression told her her assumptions were true. She knew pain when she saw it, and what was on his eyes was something a lot worse.

"She's safe and happy." She said, leaning closer. "And you're here with all that burden in your back—"

It was then she felt his sharp hands hovering menacingly on her neck. "What burden? Of _knowing _her?" He bellowed, but she didn't take her eyes off, even when she was shaking.

"Don't deny it Killua—all her memories cause you is pain." She said. _I am not afraid,_ she chanted, _I am not going down so easily._

He did not move, but his glare sharpened, but anyone could see at this point that he was _breaking_. "That is not true. You won't understand."

She stared at him deeply. _Water dropping day by day wears the hardest rock away_, she reminded herself, and decided to risk everything in the slither of hope that that popular quote would ring true for her_._

Nerys closed her eyes before opening them ever-so-slowly, and tiptoed to lessen the distance between them. "Then _make _me understand." She hissed softly, gently pushing his knife away. She didn't let go of his hand and, slowly, she leaned down and kissed his neck. "Pretend I'm her."

And with one fluent motion—he claimed her lips. It was sudden and more gratifying than she imagined. She couldn't do anything else _but_ let out a moan.

_Finally_.

She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss. He tasted so fine, so unique…, so _strong_. She never felt so _sensual _before.

No. It wasn't just that, she corrected herself. This was love—Nerys never felt so… _loved. _And it was a sensation she would never _ever_ want to lose.

No wonder people died for love.

She could hear her own heartbeat: it was so _loud_. The last time her heart was like this was when she was a young girl, and was on the brink of death. In a sense, maybe she was again.

Brink of death, and yet never feeling so _alive. _

It was going on for only a few seconds now, but it felt so much longer. She deepened their kisses even further, she could taste him so intensely, and she even began memorizing his taste. She relished the feel of his toned body against hers, and thought how perfect everything was, and—

"_Gon." _

They were immediately apart after that. His face was one of shock, and hers probably mirrored it. Was he making that face because of what he just did with her or was it because he didn't realize he said her name out loud?

In either case Nerys _hated_ it. Nerys mustered all coherency that she could possibly get at the moment and held his face. He was looking at her, but he wasn't seeing her at all. "It's a start Killua." She said. "You don't have to be guilty—"

It was then that he pushed her hand away. "It wasn't the same." He said blankly, before letting out what seemed to be a scoff.

"You would never be even _near_ her." He said firmly—so sure of himself, the bastard—and she was reminded of his words that night when he was choking her against a tree. "Stop making a fool of yourself."

And then he left.

Nerys stared in blank space, her hands ending up touching her lips without her knowing. She knew the sensations Killua gave her were something to kill for.

And Nerys Bloodsworth always gets what she wants.

**…**

Some few floors below of the massive mansion, deep within the master's grand hall…, Silva Zoldyck was looking ( appraising, rather) a yellow familiar rod that was then resting on one of his thighs. It was an article passed from generation to generation, and he personally saw it being used by two.

He found it when he assassinated a depressed old man who sent someone to kill _himself_. (What was his name? Battera?) And decided to keep it.

Silva was not sentimental, but he did honour debt. He owed a lot of debts to that unshakable idiot Ging that needed to be paid, and one could say allowing his daughter to live was a massive down payment, given what she was threatening just by staying with his son.

Silva knew—no, _understood—_that his son was happy with the girl, as he was being friends with Ging. However, Killua was granted gifts of assassinations that skip generations. But most importantly, Killua was born with silver hair—the only sort that could rule the family. The silver-haired child was the equivalent of the first born son in any monarchy.

When he was a child, he did run away, but he soon gained perspective—and returned home, with a renewed pride of his birthright. It had been an unfortunate twist that Killua didn't see things the same way.

Silva sighed and stood up, placing the rod back in its case, in a room beyond his own, along with other artifacts that served to remind him of what he must do. As he closed the door, however, as his eyes passed item to item, he somehow begun musing about his _other_ son.

It was rather curious, as Illumi was always the perfect son he never had to worry about his entire life. He was dutiful, extremely talented, and not once had he entered a rebellious streak. Still, he couldn't help but feel that Illumi was indeed going soft.

Maybe he'd have a talk with him, Silva thought, the boy was arriving soon, anyway.

However, very mutely…, Silva still mused what it could mean for the family.

**…**

Sitting inside his roofed guard house, Zebro relaxed his chin on his palm, his elbow lazily resting on the table that had once been filled with pseudo-paper work (to _appear_ like an actual guard that he wasn't). He had been playing back the events of that morning in his head repeatedly since it happened.

Along those thoughts, he kept wondering how possible was it to feel familiarity about something you're not supposed to remember anymore. Illumi-sama's needles were powerful, powerful, mental weapons.

But then he heard a very familiar drag (it was more of a booming sound, really) of a massive amount of stones, which easily pulled him from his meandering thoughts to the fact that his job felt like it was becoming dangerous.

His head flinched and it whipped to the direction of the door. Zebro quickly stood up (his back was killing him) and looked over the translucent surface of his office. He had a quick glimpse of the door's 5th stone layer open and he knew immediately who it was. And Zebro honestly wasn't certain if he could face the young man at the moment.

By the time he got outside, he could already see his favourite master's darkening figure. The bocchama looked remorseful, mad, and disgusted..., and very much deep in thought. If those thoughts were regretful or murderous (or both) Zebro couldn't tell. He was still wondering what happened.

Although…, he was a hundred percent certain that it had _something_ to do with the young visitor he had a few hours prior.

"Killua-sama." He called as he opened the door to the guard house. The young master stopped his tracks and slowly (almost lazily) turned to look at him. As expected, he didn't have the energy to say anything, so Zebro went ahead to the point once more. "Gon-san was here."

"_What?"_ The sudden change in expression was startling, but Zebro continued on.

"She was asking for you." He said and his now-rare shocked expression suddenly seemed permanently etched on his face. "I asked her to leave and warned her not to associate with her." He said, his voice's volume lowering after each word he uttered. In the end, he had to clear his throat. "Did I make the wrong call?"

The three seconds of silence were terrifying, it made his bald head sweat buckets, but Killua-sama ultimately shook his head. "No. No you didn't." He said, but his eyes seemed very far away. "…thank you."

Zebro smiled in relief. But not only because it seemed he'd live a day longer. It was because it _had_ been a long time since he heard the bocchama utter something so softly.

"May I know what happened? She didn't recognize me."

The pause that came afterwards was a little less scary. Thankfully, Killua-sama didn't seem to mind his questions, although he was visibly straining himself. "Aniki made her forget everyone from the Zoldyck family." He said, voice cracking as he narrowed his eyes by habit. "Particularly _me_."

"I see…" Zebro whispered and his eyebrows forming deep wrinkles on his head. "But, knowing _her_—"

"I know." _She'll definitely be sniffing around._ And Killua couldn't help but let out a loud grouse of frustration. "_Grr_—why does she have to make her being safe so _hard?_"

"Maybe because you're approaching it the wrong way." Zebro blurted out.

Honestly, he was surprised at himself, especially after he just forced Gon away. But in retrospect, Zebro understood that the trials would be great. He recalled how his three friends risked their lives to see him, even after witnessing him at his worst, and he knew they should be able to get past the obstacles that come at them.

All they needed was time. And perhaps a little help.

And there was also the fact that he was actually a hopeless romantic, but truth be told—he didn't think _this_ was hopeless. It was just that when Gon came here herself—fighting a curse that was considered impossible to escape from—feeling the need that something was to be done… and how the bocchama still felt so strongly for her. Zebro couldn't help but feel more and more certain that, indeed, they'd end up together anyway.

Of course Killua-bocchama remained oblivious to his thoughts and was, at the moment, staring him down. "What are you trying to say?"

Zebro laughed in response.

"Nothing worthy is gained easily, master Killua." He said, and patted the young man's back. "You, of all people, know that by heart."

* * *

Whale Island

* * *

Kurapika took a deep breath as he stood in front of the peculiar house. He had never been in her house before, but was definitely no less interesting than Gon herself. He wondered how old those trees were? Judging by their trunks, he thought that they must be a decades of years old.

He distracted himself further with other things like the lawn, the clouds, and the sun. Until finally, he knocked.

He closed his eyes as he waited, but didn't have to wait long to hear the door creaking. He was met by a beautiful woman with red hair extending down her neck. Her beam was all he needed to recognize her. "You must be Mito-san."

The woman blinked in surprise and Kurapika smiled in response. "I'm one of Gon's friends. My name is Ku—"

"Wait!" She said, beaming the moment he said he was one of Gon's friends. "Let me guess—Blonde, handsome, blue eyes…" Mito mumbled before raising her voice by reflex. "You must be Kurapika!"

"A-Ah…" He uttered awkwardly. And then he realized: Gon described him as handsome?

"I knew it! Come in, Kurapika!" She squeaked, clasping her hands together in glee, before pulling him into the house. An old woman, who was likely to be Gon's grandmother, greeted him inside. It was a nice wooden house that would feel like a home to anyone. Much like Gon had.

The next thing he knew he already had tea and three small sandwiches for him to choose from, neatly laid out in front of him. "Eat young man." The old woman said, seeing how he was just staring at the table. "The travels must have made you famished!"

He sweat-dropped and nodded dutifully, sipping the tea and taking a bite on the egg sandwich, before looking at the two women who was staring at him rather openly. "What is it?"

"You are even better looking than we imagined." They said. "Although it _had_ been five years since we last heard about you."

He blushed a little, but realized he blushed more at the thought that _Gon described him as handsome_. It was odd how much a compliment could mean if it was from a person one revered. In any case, he maintained a stoic façade and gave a gentle smile. "Thank you."

The two women smiled in response, and they let him finish his food before they resumed their chat. When he finished, grandma began cleaning up, and Mito remained seated, staring at him as if he was a very interesting specimen… to tease. "Are you here to see Gon?"

"…yes." He said, suddenly feeling as if he just admitted something intimate.

"Ah, that's expected. I wonder how many she invited for her birthday." Kurapika blinked at that. He never knew of her birthday—they didn't ask each other, primarily because almost everyone had pasts too dark to even bother with birthdays.

Mito, however, seemed oblivious to this. Kurapika did notice she looked sad at a thought, which she voiced out a second later. "But unfortunately, Gon's arrival was delayed a week.

"She just had some Hunter errand to take care of." And then her slouch straighted up again, which planted a seed of thought that Mito seemed to have unusual mood-swings. "Are you in a rush?"

"Well, no. Not really."

"You can stay here until she arrives, then!" Mito said brightly and her mother smiled at him apologetically as she sat back down the table with them.

"I wonder if she's with Killua."

"I doubt it." He blurted out and Mito's face dropped as easily as it lit.

"Do you… know anything? We…" She stopped and shook her worried expression away. "She never actually wrote about the three of you ever since she went with her father…"

"It's complicated." He said knowingly, but retained a genuine tone of empathy. "But I'd rather not speak of it until she's here, if you don't mind. I wouldn't want to assume anything."

There was a heavy sigh that followed. "…I understand."

And the awkward conversations ended then.

At least for the moment.

It was soon after a very amicable dinner a few hours later. (a dinner, by the way, in which Kurapika felt like an extrovert with how the two could get the conversations going.) Although many of the topics were about Gon, which meant it was also very difficult to hide his secret: harboring non-platonic feelings for Gon.

But before the two could interrogate (the friendly chat somehow turned into one. He blamed women's intuition), Mito let out an awful gagging sound and ran to the nearest restroom.

"You're unwell?" He asked gently when she returned and disjointedly sat back down across him. Somehow he got the habit of checking up on the ill from Leorio and Senritsu.

Mito nodded, embarrassed. "Yeah. It was the shellfish I ate five days ago…" He was about to nod in agreement, since these things weren't typically in his to-ponder list, but his brain often worked on its own.

"But food poisoning typically doesn't exceed two days."

The two women blinked at that. But as Mito remained clueless, her mother's surprised face seemed to have been stuck there. As he continued his questions, the older woman's expression turned to one of anticipation. Kurapika knew why.

"Do you feel cramps, Mito-san?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you have diarrhea?"

"I'm waiting for it."

"I don't think you have to wait anymore though." He said almost immediately, meeting the old woman's eyes as if to ask for her permission. Gradma nodded in assent, and Kurapika quickly looked at Mito. Although…, it did take him a few moments to try and organize the thoughts in his head a little better. It didn't go well, still, as Kurapika never thought he'd be in this sort of conversation.

But he went through it like the gentleman that he was.

"Mito-san…" He paused, feeling his throat drying up a little. "Have you considered that you're… pregnant?"

.

"_What?"_ Mito gasped. "That's ridi—"

_Silence_

Then she turned as red as a tomato. Then she hid her face on her palms and her mother patted her soothingly on the back. "It's _fine_ Mito, you don't have to be embarrassed. You're of age now." The old woman was holding back gleeful laughter now, no doubt excited for a second grandchild. It had been much too long. "Illumi obviously wanted to marry you."

Kurapika almost gagged. "_Illumi Zoldyck_?"

"Illumi Walker." The older woman corrected. "Why?"

He shook his head and feigned ignorance. But Kurapika had no doubt that Illumi Zoldyck and Illumi Walker were the same person. So Mito was pregnant with Illumi's baby? That would mean they—

_Goodness,_ Kurapika mused grimly. _That was a very hard image to shake off. _

Instead of letting his mind wonder (which was now dangerously heading towards the whole Mito-Illumi fiasco), he decided to watch the mother and daughter in front of him.

He realized that despite the complications that they know of—which were certainly merely the tip of the iceberg—they looked so… _happy._ He didn't want to be the one to destroy it, especially when there was an actual chance, albeit an extremely small one, that he could be wrong.

In the end, though, after much internal debate and dealing with his cynicism—he ended up mentally groaning because of the stress. He then found his palm practically smacked on his face.

And there he thought he was here for a vacation.

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER 8**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 9: Eyes x Stars x Compromise  
**Gon takes a downtime in the lower parts of Mt. Padioka, while Kurapika appreciates down time over tea.

* * *

**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Dolce-tasie –** Thank you for reviewing~! So glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you liked the fanart! xDD Oh, I'd have to apologize. Some things will be settled before I resume to the path of Yin and Yang. *sobs*

**XxHunterxX **– haha I'm so glad that the chapter helped with some questions! And we should be sad for Gon but happy for the story (cuz' it'll get more details and thus get longer lol). Thx for reviewing btw~! :DD

**Yuki Candy Heart –** Haha, it's depressing isn't it? How she can't remember some people. xD Blame Illumi! Oh. Wait. Hahhaha. Anyway, thank yooouu for reviewing~! Glad you liked the chap! :D

**LittleChomper – **IKR. It was practically fanservice, that movie. xD And no worries~ The Illumi thing will be settled in a few chaps. He has that quality that makes sure that one would want to write little of him. LOL. Thx for reviewing~!

**Digilover23 - **Kamigami…I watched 2 eps so far. What can I say, eh? I say the bishies are fabulous eye candies~ hehehe. And thank you for reviewing~! I hope this YY-less chap is also fine. *sobs*

**drawingRAMPAGE – **yay for good health! *cheers* And you know what? My whiny brother acts more mature now damnit. Hahaha. Anyway, super glad you liked the chapter and that you liked why and what I did with the chap and made that wonderfully long review! You're too kind. xD*brohugs* And kanpai for the Guardian Pair! Wohoo! Hihi

**Esperanz – **Yay! Another person to aboard the Guardian Pair ship. All aboard! Hehe. Oh, and Illumi's new look is reminiscent of his younger years in canon. Oh and Hisoka's not going to appear any time soon. Sorry! Oh, and finally, thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Chani – **Awww thank you for reviewing~! So glad I can make you happy and thank you for waiting! It'll only be a few more chaps before YY pair appears. xD

**Slytherin Studios – **Thank you for reviewing! Yeah… I can't imagine either It makes me sad just to approximate feeling that way. *brohugs*

**TECKK – **Oh my gosh, I'm soo glad you wrote your review in Spanish. That's _exactly_ what's going to happen! xDD Thx for commenting, btw~!

**Grapes –** Thank you for reviewing~! I'm glad you found the chap beautiful! I sure do hope I can keep it up~!

**Mystic a.k.a. darlingfedz –** Aw shux. As always I'm soo happy to know I make your day sometimes, and that you really liked the chap! And no prob! I'm glad to meet you in FB too! *hugs* And thx for reviewing~! :D

**Tochiome-chan –** Ahahaha. I love that there're a number of angels in the guardian pair ship now! Hehehe. And oh! Kurapika's getting some screentime~ Yay! And finally, thank yoou for reviewing!

**Lexzly-** Thank you for reviewing kabayan~! I'm very happy to know you like the chapter so far and here's the update! Hope you enjoyed it as well~

**Dianamehhh-** Yay! Glad you like the return to the slow burn romance thing. I like writing that sort better as well. So happy you like the story so far! And thank you for reviewing~

**SerenadePanda – **Banzai! Cheers for the guardian pair ship! xDD I'm happy that you liked the story so far! But 40 to 50 chaps? Hahaha I wish. xD I'll try to keep every chaper worth the wait tho! And thx for reviewing~

**Kira Okami **- *cackles* Welcome to the Guardian pair ship—yo! *brofist* Let's stay aboard til… the end? Hahahah. Thanks for commenting btw! xD

**KG-ai – **You blushed at the Guardian pair fluff? OMG that's good news for me! Hahah. Yay~Illumi's officially the other half of a fluff pair~! Hihihi. Oh and thank you for reviewinG~! xD

**Guest [Aug 9 2014] – **It's safe for me to assume that's a positive review right!? Not incoherency of hate? Ahhaha. In any case, thx for commenting. xD

**Mellowchan – **ahaha~glad to know the story gets you so excited! xD Oh & nope~ I update around 1-2 weeks atm. Hopefully the support doesn't disappear so it doesn't exceed a month, even in my dark days. xD And ofcourse, Thx for reviewing!

**Phoenix-thunder – **Aw don't pressure yourself! I just want you to know that whenever you update (#Istillhopeit'ssoon), we'll be there to read it! xD Anyway, glad you liked the chap and thx for reviewing~! :D

**Guest [Aug 10] a.k.a. Bunny –** Thank _you_ for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you find my work beautiful, I'll do my best to retain that standard! *hugs*

**Kyouno-aru –** Join us in our little party for the voyage of the Guardian pair ship. Ahahaha. I'm super glad you like the chap! And thank you for reviewinG~ I don't mind you're late at all! I'm just glad you're here again~

**CursedXQueenXDoll – **Thank you for reviewing! Hahaha I'm happy to know you liked the chap! Yay~ and I'm glad the pairing actually makes sense. xD *screams with you*

**AsukaSaru – (ch4) **haha yay! Glad you loved the chapter~! xD And no worries~ Just glad to see you around again. xD **(ch5)** I'm happy to know you thought the chap was beautiful! Hope it remains that way til' the end. haha **(ch6)** I'm glad I make you happy, then! xD So sorry it won't be so soon tho, Gon remembering. xD** (ch7) **Ah~ at least I can promise the reunion will come soon. Hehehe. Thank you for the reviews~! :D

**NariGray – **They're so close yet so far. LOL /shot. Anyway, hope this chap was a lil' more er… hopeful? XD Awesome to know you like the new pair btw! And thx for reviewing~

**Pitou77** – Heheh I'll reveal the answer to your question soon~ xD Glad you liked the chapter btw, and yes! I shall try to keep at it. Oh, and thx for reviewing~!

**Tealovesreniaki – **Don't worry! You don't have to wait _that_ long for the reunion~ And lol. Yes it is a new pairing! I remember asking someone to do a prompt about it years ago but otherwise no other stories have that pair. Thanks for the review btw! :D

**Bluelup28 **– Thank you for reviewing~! I'm honoured that I made you squeal *squeals with you* lol. Gon won't be remember so soon tho, hope that's Ok, and thank you for reviewing~ xD

**Mytiaaa – **Heheh IKR. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it less weird, but glad you found the pair cute anyway! Hihihi And of course Thank you for reviewing! xD

**Multicoloured Lotus - **You think it's a masterpiece?! I'm super flattered. xD I hope I don't do something that'll change your mind LOl. And, Thank you for reviewing! :D

* * *

…

* * *

Thank you for reading!  
**I hope it was a chap you enjoyed~  
But whatever you thought of it,  
**_**do**_** let me know. :D **


	9. Eyes x Stars x Compromise

**AD: **New Oneshot up! xD Title is 'Video 1: Transported'. It's a YinYang pair story I made because I missed writing them hahaha. Also because I wanted to write something weird like that for a while. hehehe

**REMINDERS:** This was based on the 1999 anime! So the house was between two trees and not quite a simple-looking house in the apex of a huge clearing on a hill like in 2011.

Above all, THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE SUPPORT SO FAR! I mean, I updated after 5 (and a half) days! Ah~ The powers you people give me. xD

A little warning tho. This doesn't contain as much plot devt. as the previous chapters, but I hope you like it anyway. And don't hesitate to leave your feedback on that fabulous box below the chapter. :D

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

…

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: Eyes x Stars x Compromise**

_Dear Mito-san,_

_Did you know? The first thing I did when I landed was to play with dolphins and whales and have them throw me a few kilometres into the surface? It was wicked fun, and I even met someone I think I knew before. It was actually regarding that person… this letter._

_I just want you to know I'm in the adjacent continent now, on my way to the place he lives in now. Sorry I got delayed, but I think I'll lose sleep if I didn't do this. _

_See you soon! And I miss you all so much._

_Love,  
Gon_

_P.S. I learned how to use the bow and arrow. It's cool. Now I can use three weapons.  
I still miss my rod, though._

**…**

WHALE ISLAND

Kurapika drank his coffee as he finished the few amounts of paperwork he brought with him—the sort only he actually could do efficiently. He was an early riser, and he found his productivity is at its highest during that time anyway.

After some time alone with his paper, he was soon joined by the two women. They were up to prepare breakfast. But alas, after strongly going against him helping, they left him alone again.

He continued to stare at his work, even after finishing them, and absent-mindedly sipped his coffee, thinking about the latest of Gon's letter which Mito showed him a little before they slept. Perhaps it was the real reason he was up so early, but he dared not dwell on that right now.

He thought it was more proper to muse about Gon's upcoming birthday. He sighed and stood up to see the two women in the kitchen. "Excuse me…"

"You can't help with the cooking, Kurapika."

"I'm not going to ask." Kurapika said kindly. "I'm here to…, well, ask what Gon would like as a present for her birthday? I'm embarrassed to say I haven't readied anything yet."

"Oh, that's sweet of you Kurapika…" Grandma said as she put some of he vegetables to the pot. "But Gon is never for the presents—she is for the people she celebrated it with." She said and Mito smiled in assent. "Any sort of present was unnecessary."

"I see…" Kurapika said quietly. "Well thank you…" And he turned away. "I'll just go back to my work then…"

"The food will be ready in a few moments~"

"Ah." He said half-heartedly as he sat back down, feeling a little disappointed.

After all, he still couldn't help but feel that itching want to give her _something _tangible.

**…**

Somewhere along his reverie, he failed to notice a brave spider lounging around until it was merely a meter away from him. However, he no longer automatically acted to impale the arachnid. Not only was his pen very expensive, it simply wasn't a reflex anymore.

But the he heard something—likely porcelain—crash.

"K-Kurapika?"

He blinked and looked at Mito, and then to the broken plate by her feet, and she looked very surprised. For a moment, Kurapika didn't know why she looked like that. He hadn't even lifted a finger yet.

"D-Did you—your eyes! Did they just turn _red_?"

_Oh._

Mito then froze and cleared her throat, before squinting her eyes as if checking if she was seeing correctly. "I mean… I'm pregnant so I could have—"

"Ah…, don't worry, Mito-san. They did turn red." Kurapika said calmly, closing his eyes, and opening them again to show their original cerulean color. "My clan has that ability." He said, but managing to keep the hidden bitterness well.

However, Mito managed to see through him. _Like niece, like aunt. _"What's wrong?"

"It's simply a sensitive topic." He said, but rather than veering away from it he realized he didn't really mind sharing it. "I'm the only one of my clan left. They were killed for their eyes." He said, unaware of whatever face he was making. "Right now I'm collection every and each one of what was ours."

There was silence then, before Mito's gentle gape became a smile and she gave him an acknowledging nod. "That sounds like an honorable goal." She said warmly. "I think your family would be happy."

He smiled. "I agree. It's much better than a life seeking revenge." He said and once again Mito nodded in agreement. _I have your niece to thank for that,' _he wanted to add, but decided against it. He did, however, want to voice out his gratitude to Mito for raising Gon so well.

Somehow his thoughts shifted to upbringing—from Gon's, to his, and then to Killua's. His eyebrows furrowed a little, for many reasons, before turning to look at Mito, and decided to speak of what was bothering him for a while. "Have you told… Illumi-san yet?"

Alas, Kurapika still had a hard time saying that man's name in this context.

Mito blushed a little, but she shook her head in the end. "It's just that I—can we be a hundred percent sure first? I don't want to disturb him in his job for a false alarm…" She said with such nervousness that she had to clear her throat. "Besides… this is something you say in person, right?"

He didn't think of that. He must be losing many variables because of his bias. "You're right." He said. "I'm sorry if I'm getting ahead of myself."

"No, no." Mito reassured with a soft smile. "I think it's _cute_. It's not often we find young men truly care for things like this." But then her reassuring smile turned to one that somewhat made him nervous. "So…" She said. "What do you think of Gon?"

She should not have asked that as he was drinking his coffee. "Pardon?"

"You know what I'm asking."

"She's a good friend." He said firmly. "And I wish for her happiness."

"Hmn."

"Yes." He repeated, before standing up to pick the plate she dropped. Of course, Mito realized this and pointed at him to order him to stay seated. He did, because Mito was one of the few women he was actually afraid of angering.

But still, Mito was a kind and gentle soul, and he couldn't help but feel mad at Illumi for corrupting her. He thought his eyes probably turned red then.

It felt natural, really, to associate Mito's predicament with Gon's. But at the same time, he knew Killua truly loved Gon. He would rather die than do something that would make things worse for Gon.

Kurapika flinched at the almost-blasphemous thoughts of Illumi showing some level of empathy. It was simply difficult to picture, especially with everything that happened. However, he doubted he'd forget what he did during the Hunter exam.

The hidden second part of the third exam where they had to go through a deadly storm. Kurapika was one of the leaders, and he was the one who ultimately had to drive the boat. But he got into an accident, and it was where Illumi took the helm that saved everyone, and he even bandaged his head.

To be honest, he still found it hard to believe that even happened.

Still—assuming this was the Zoldyck he had known—was it really _necessary_ for him to go to such lengths to keep an eye on Gon? He clearly held a key role in the problems regarding Gon and Killua. Kurapika himself could imagine many different alternatives to that goal. Illumi never actually had to stoop so 'low' to actually interact with his targets to the point of becoming their so-called lovers.

_._

_Unless…_

He looked at Mito, who probably just said something to tease him with Gon again as she replaced the broken plate with a new one. Fortunately, he heard little enough to avoid becoming incoherent, and decided on knowing more about the fiasco right in front of him.

He simply needed to know. If it was for Gon, for Mito, for Killua, or even for himself—he'd think about that later.

"Mito-san…" He said with a serious voice that made her smirk disappear.

"Is it okay for you to tell me how you met Illumi-san?"

**…**

Meanwhile, back at the Zoldyck estate, Nerys Bloodsworth joined in with the few people who decided to greet the eldest son, Illumi Zoldyck, on his arrival.

It was just her, Kallluto, and Milluki. Usually there wasn't a need for a greeting party, even the small one that this was, but she needed to speak with him and Milluki seemed be there to ask Illumi about something as well. The air between the three assassins was silence, but it was not awkward—silence never was for people of darkness—and they only stared at the door, waiting patiently for it to open.

Nerys, however, began to feel bothered by the the fly hovering around them. It was interestingly not making any sound at all, but she was too annoyed with it that she swore that if it got an inch closer: she'd crush it.

As they stood, Nerys studied one of her fiance's older brothers with her peripheral view of vision. She heard once from Canary that Milluki was an extremely obese kid a few years back, one that came out of the house once every decade.

A funny story it was, apparently, on how that fat kid turned to a skinny one. One day he provoked Killua, who was in a particularly bad mood, and it was said that events unfolded in a way that a very bloodied and determined Milluki came out. He started accepting missions, then, and subsequently got fit.

"What are you looking at?" He said, but neither actually faced each other.

"I'm curious." She said, shrugging. "Do you want to get back at my fiancé for what he did to you?"

_I couldn't even if I wanted to._ "Not really," Milluki just said. "I actually like being strong."

"That's very mature of you." She said sarcastically. He then wore a smirk that she would _love_ to wipe off his face.

"So says the girl who's desperately trying to seduce her own fiancé."

She found her head finally turning to him and she gaped at him in aghast. Slowly, he also turned his head to look at her and he smugly pointed at his eyes. "I may have become stronger physically, but my head didn't diminish in size." He said and pointed at a fly. It took her a few moments to realize he was asking her to look closer… and when she had, she realized when she squinted that it wasn't made of organic matter—It was of _metal_.

Milluki gave a satisfied smirk at her reaction."I have eyes everywhere."

The door creaking pulled their attentions back to the door, and as expected Illumi came in. What they did not expect, however, was how short his hair was now and that he put on some bangs. He looked so much younger.

"Whoa! Reminds me of your teenage years." Milluki said excited but monotonous at the same time, before demandingly extending his hand. "Where is it?"

"Here." Illumi handed him a metal box the size of his palm.

"Thanks." And Milluki turned and went to his room. Nerys shrugged at the utter lack of affection and smiled sweetly at her future brother-in-law.

"Hello Illumi-niisan~"

"Nerys."

"Not bad…" Kalluto mumbled with that cute little voice of hi—hers. But as always, the youngest Zoldyck was straight to the point. "Father wants to see you."

"Okay."

And like Milluki, Kalluto also turned to go to do her own matters, leaving Nerys alone with the emotionless raven-haired man. He walked towards the master's hall and Nerys walked with him. He didn't look at her once, so she assumed he didn't really mind.

"Illumi-nii…" She began sweetly as they walked. "You're aware that Gon's actually alive, right?"

His steps paused and he turned his head very slightly stared at her with those trademark dark eyes of his. If she hadn't seen Killua's murderous glare so many times she would have shivered. Still, he did not say anything and continued on his way.

Nerys, however, did not move, but her posture emanated confidence. "She showed up in front of Killua, you know." She said and, once again, he paused his movements.

But this time? He faced her for real.

_This_ look made her shiver like hell.

**…**

Around the same time, below the foot of the mountain where the towering estate stood, was a village famed for its proximity to the said domain. Thus, it was not surprising that there was never a lack of hunters (or rather people who _claim_ to be hunters) lounging around. The stays were particularly lengthy because these so-called hunters tended to delay their trip in the disguise of 'getting ready' when they really (according to shopkeepers) simply hadn't gathered enough courage to attack.

Most of them never did.

Gon, on the other hand, ended up hanging around the village (the archery range, to be exact) because her feet didn't want to move further. As a person who had a tendency to just jump into action, she found these moments where she was simply so _reluctant _to move particularly special.

She had spoken with quite a few people and she had learned a lot about them: their families, their jobs, and of course the source of the economical flow of tourists. But above all she learned about the reason why there was so many tourists in the area in the first place.

The more she learned about the Zoldycks the more she realized that she wasn't afraid. It wasn't that she thought they were weaker—it certainly wasn't that, but there was an odd sense of security that kept making her think she'd survive.

"Archery helps you clear your head, I see." An old man—a _really_ old man—like, half-her-height-because-of-age-old—approached her as she shot arrows in the town's archery range. She had been competing with a few men when she arrived there, but for some reason they lost their moods a several minutes after. "Your focus is impressive."

"Thank you." She said. "I had a great instructor."

"How long have you been doing this? Two, three years?"

"Just a few days ago…"

"…oh." The small man gave her a toothless grin. "That's what I thought." Before laughing whole-heartedly and kind of reminds her of Netero, only this was a much more wheezy laugh. But, interestingly, it was no less bright. Old people had similar laughs, she thought.

"Maybe I know your instructor."

She tilted her head a little by habit. "His name is Hajime-san from that town by the sea."

"Hajime?!" He said and even though he was feigning it Gon had no idea. "Him?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah. He's the second cousin of my sister's husband." He said proudly. "And a good friend of mine. Small world." He said, and paused.

"I'm kidding, of course."

"Eh?" Gon blinked. "About the world being small?"

"About Hajime. Never heard of him until recently." The man's eyes seemed to have gotten sharper as he said that. "You… by some chance… didn't happen to be the hunter who pacified the infamous beast? Ho-ho."

"Well it's not exactly pacified… but we made a compromise."

"That's impressive." He said as he looked around.

"Do you live here, ossan?"

"Oh, where were my manners." He said with that cracky and silent tone of voice. "My name is Maha."

"Maha-ossan." She repeated, and stared afterwards waiting for his reply.

"No, I live nearby." "I do walk around to pass the time." He said and lifted his small feet and bent them in air, to show his leg strength. "I'm much stronger than I seem."

"I can tell."

"Can you?" Gon batted her eyelids at the tone, startled, and for a moment there she thought he'd give out a burst of aura. However, all he did was to give a chuckle.

"Nice meeting you Gon-chan." He said and waved his hand, leaving her alone in the archery range again.

But then, just as she was about to launch another arrow… she finally realized something.

_Did she ever mention her name? _

**…**

Gon found herself wondering about the old man for the hour that followed. There was something very enigmatic about him, but with her head—she just couldn't do much with enigmas, especially with the mysteries her head was already drowning in.

She did not realize nighttime arrived and she ended up gazing at the stars. There was something so ultimately beautiful about the sky lit only by the heavens and—like staring at the cerulean morning sky—she felt at peace.

Her eyes slowly began to close and she did nothing to stop the lethargy. Soon, she completely slipped into a state of slumber.

But she woke up a moment later (or at least that was how it felt like) and sat up, feeling a warm sensation on her lips—making her fingers touch it involuntarily. But at that same moment she felt a presence nearby and used 'En' by reflex. Within a second she already had several meters radius around her and it was getting bigger. It stopped when she sensed _him_, standing firmly not too far away.

_Killua_

"Hey." He said not looking her direction. He was scratching the back of his head, and for a moment Gon forgot the cold Killua who pushed her away. Unaware that he was avoiding her gaze, she thought he tilted his head up to look at the sky.

"You like looking at the stars, too?"

He blinked and reluctantly turned his head to look at her. "…yeah."

"Join me."

"No thanks." He said almost immediately and it made her frown. "Gon. There's something important we have to talk about."

Silently, she wondered what was different when he called out her name. It just sounded… _better_. But, afraid of making their conversation turn for the worst, she didn't say so out loud. Instead, she patted the patch of grass beside her. "Sit."

He only stared at her for a while, probably hoping she was joking, but she only stared back in response. After moments of silence, he finally sighed in defeat and sat in the meadow with her. He kept a safe distance of two meters, however, and Gon couldn't help but wonder why he kept putting up such a thick wall.

Killua on the other hand was a lot more guarded—he had to, after what he did less than a minute prior. _What was he thinking_? he asked himself, but could only think of stupid answers.

When Killua arrived there an hour prior, after hours of trying to find her without using the alarming technique of En, things became even fuzzier. He almost didn't go there, having the gut feeling of one of his family members being in the spot, but his instincts also told him to go anyway.

He was at the time undergoing internal turmoil as he searched—worsened by unspeakable humiliation, shame, and _remorse_—that he'd do _anything_ to escape, and seeing her peaceful form on the grass he just decided to _stay_. After all, he trained with her in Greed Island—when she was honing her senses while sleeping—so he knew how to bypass it.

But then his feet moved on his own, and he found himself standing by her. And then—

His eyes once again gravitated towards her lips.

_Shit_

The fact that the feel of her lips on his still lingered. He had been dreaming of it for so long, but it felt like he forgot the feeling of kissing someone you loved. He wasn't going to lie—he wanted more.

She stood up to face him. "I assume you're going to tell me the truth, then?"

_What truth? _

"We _do_ know each other, right?"

_Oh_

He pulled himself back and stood up as well. _Focus, Killua,_ he told himself, before adopting his frigid façade to compose himself enough to be able to look at her in the eyes. "I came to warn you about what you're doing." He said coolly, but he was internally fretting at how often his moods were shifting so suspiciously. "You're going to put a lot of people's lives in danger."

"I still don't—" She stopped herself. "I _have_ to know." She said, her body unconsciously turning to face him. He leaned away by reflex, as if the two meters he put between them was no longer safe.

"Why are you so determined?"

She stared at him for a while, looking as confused as she was when he asked her why she kept repeating his name. But in the end, she shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt something missing, and I felt I should find it." His eyes widened. And looked at him, deeply into his eyes. "I think you have something to do with it."

He didn't realize when the distance between them suddenly went from two meters to a few inches, but it happened. He looked down on her—she was so _petite_—but he kept his cold glare. "Stop making me look like I'm someone… soft."

"Well, you _are_ a liar." She said, looking back at him, her golden eyes shining bright with defiance. _Kami—how difficult she was making this conversation. Particularly to _him_, physically._ He had to put his hands in his pockets to keep them from doing something he'd regret.

Gon, oblivious, decided to egg him on further. "So… I assume you _are_ soft."

He wanted to pull her to him, but all he did in the end was let out a sigh of exasperation. "This conversation is going nowhere." He said, turning away as quickly as he could. "It's pointless speaking to you." He said, half thankful it sounded like a snap. "I'm leaving."

"Don't—"

And the next thing he knew her arms were already around his torso. He would've been reminded of all those years ago—when she did something similar, if his brain wasn't malfunctioning, and all he could hear was his heart.

It was embarrassing: How loud his heart was probably beating.

Gon realized what she did, however—_too soon_—and she let go, taking a few steps away. "I-I'm sorry." She said. "I don't know what came over me."

He didn't turn around, then, but he was surprised by what he said next. "We were acquaintances, once." He said, murmuring. "G-Good friends." His mouth made a thin line then, cursing how the words just escaped it.

And… how long had it been since he stuttered_?_

There was silence for a while, and yet he could see Gon's shocked gaze like it was the back of his hand. "I-I knew it!"

"But it doesn't mean we still are." He blurted out again.

At that point he had already stopped trying to control his mouth. He knew when a conversation with Gon became a lost cause. "I had my duties to my family and you were holding me back, so they made you forget."

"But not you?"

"Trust me." "You could do a lot of things if you remembered." He said, recalling the first time she rescued him from his family. It would've been a fond memory, if only that memory of seeing her _die_ didn't make the memory similarly painful.

"Do they have to do something so drastic?"

"Yes, no doubt about it." He said immediately. "But if you swear not to come near the estate again…, or ask around about my family, then maybe we can be… of speaking terms... again." The last words came out as whispers, but he knew how strong Gon's hearing was. He both thanked and cursed it.

Still, she didn't respond then. "Please turn around. I want to speak with you directly." She said. "Please."

Moments passed by as he tried to gather his thoughts. It never came but, afraid she'd do something that could make his heart stop for good, he reluctantly turned around anyway. She met her beautiful and large eyes again, but the seriousness in them made his chest skip another beat. _Again_.

"We weren't _just_ acquaintances, we we? We were_ friends_." She stated with such certainty that it made his eyes widen. It seemed that it was a reaction she waited for because she lowered her head apologetically the instant she saw it.

"I'm so sorry." She said with such vehemence that it made her voice croak a little. "Whatever I did to destroy our friendship, I'm willing to—"

"Stop it!" _It's not like that at all! _

She whipped her head up in surprise, because she didn't expect the apathetic-looking Killua to shout. She caught his eyes soften considerably when their eyes met and, as if realizing this, he turned away. "Six years ago…," he said quietly. "You went to my estate and took me away." He said. "That's the biggest 'sin' you committed: Take me away from a place I didn't want to be."

He gulped and knew he was giving out an expression that he hadn't worn in years. "Gon, I—"

It was then he felt something approaching them—approaching Gon. It was travelling too quickly and two meters seemed so far away all of a sudden. But then she caught it, right in the middle of her fingers.

"A needle?"

He whipped his head to the direction it was from, his sharp eyes showed the terror he was feeling. But he felt no presence there, and he realized that Illumi left as soon as he threw it. What was he planning to do? To erase this encounter? But for what?

His brother's older words passed by his head, as if to answer his questions.

_You two believe that you can't live without the other, _he once told him._ How foolish. _

He thought they wouldn't be able to keep away from each other now that they've made contact? But then why would he leave so quickly? Was he so confident it would make the hit?

_No_, he surmised as soon as he thought the opposite. _It was a warning._

His head tilted down unconsciously and his sights darkened. Seeing even a millisecond of what just happened made him feel as if he just jumped into frigid cold water, body and soul bare, and describing it as painful was an understatement.

He hurriedly turned away again. "I have to go."

"Eh?" She exclaimed and he caught her arms moving through his peripheral vision, and he avoided being held again. "But—"

"We knew each other once," Killua confirmed, slowly resuming to his monotonous tone of voice. "We were friends…, _once_." He repeated, but more to himself than to her. "But please don't push this issue anymore Gon."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then you will die… along with Kurapika, Leorio, Mito-san, and many others." He said, his cold eyes staring penetratingly at her shocked ones. "That's why—like I said, you should just leave us be." She was facing his back before he finished.

"Move on, Gon."

But Killua didn't bother to wait for her response, and he just disappeared like he was never even there.

And so…, once again, Killua Zoldyck left her feeling like she was the loneliest person on the planet.

.

**.  
END OF CHAPTER 9**

_**Coming Soon  
**_**CHAPTER 10: Island x Friends x Kurapika  
**Gon finally returns to the island she grew up in.

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Dolsie-tasie –** Hahaha thank you for reviewing! xD Super glad you found the chapter entertaining and I will continue to try continuing the streak. xD

**Bluelup28 –** Well, here're a few YY pair scenes. xD Just a few tho lol. Oh and I _try_ to update weekly. I can only do that tho because of the awesome support you folks give me. xD Thx for reviewing btw~

**LittleChomper –** LOL. If there's a darker place than DC everyone's gonna die. xDD And no worries~ I hinted in the teaser that there'll be a bit of YY in this chap. Just a bit. And not so fluffy. Lol. Thx for reviewing btw! :D

**TECKK – **Thank you for reviewing~! xD So glad to know you liked all those stuff and yes~ Some goody pair moment (KuraxGon) will happen soon. ;D

**Darlingfedz –** It's getting better and better? Whoa that's a relief. I was afraid it was going downhill. xD I'd like to apologize in advance for this chapter tho. If you haven't read it yet you'll see why. xD And thanks for reviewing! :DD

**Multicoloured Lotus –** IKR. I'm still deciding how the end part of that issue will happen, but if they do marry I don't think there's anything malicious about marrying the brother of the guy your dad's cousin married. LOL. Thx for reviewing btw~

**Digilover23 **– Ah poor Kurapika! I have to warn you things aren't going to get easier for him either /shot. And yep~ there are YY pair moments here. It isn't particularly fluffy but I hope you like it! :D And thx for the review~

**Yuki Candy Heart **– Illumi would've been her second-uncle-in-law (I think) since Mito's Ging's cousin. LOL. And also a brother-in-law. Ah~ society and its genealogy thingies. Hahah

**FattyKitty –** Ahaha let me join you in that attempt. xD Oh I'll try to make life a tad harder for Illumi. I hope it satisfies our bloodlust a lil'. Haha. I'm super glad you softened up to Nerys, and thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Kira Okami** – master of painful plot twists? Haha I'm so sorry! Haha. At least you think they're beautiful~ *hugs* I'll try to make it up somehow in the future. xD Thx for reviewing, btw~

**Kazumi Rin –** Yay~ I'm relieved Nerys is being understood slowly. Hihihi. The answers to your many questions will be answered in this chapter and a few of the following ones. *wink* LOL. Thanks for reviewing btw~!

**Kh07gl –** Wahahah I'm sooo soorrry. xD This chap will have a few YY pair moments so… forgive me? Lol. Thank you for commenting, by the way~!

**Chani –** Lol I can't wait til' papa Illumi is written! I, for one, have so far no idea how to do it. Hahhahah. Thanks for the comment btw! xD

**Slytherin Studios** – Yep~ Nerys will get a clue. She already remembers everyone except the Zoldyck tho. _That_ might take a while. Thx for the comment~ xD

**KG-Ai (x3) **– Lol. Hope you don't mind the 'x3' there because I count so I'm sure I didn't miss replying to anyone. xD Anyway, thank you for the reviews~ And I don't mind them at all. Haha. And I'll consider the oneshot!Altho… I think I'll eventually integrate the family (if it actually happens) in the story itself. Super glad you liked the chapter btw~ *hugs*

**Jonica77-** Yeah I get your reaction. I'm religious myself and had a dilemma.. but went through with it because I thought there are no christian values in their world plus I _needed_ that twist. xD Don't worry tho~ It'll be the last 'big' sin (other than killing) that'll happen. ;)

**Amv **– Lol Thank you for the cookies~! xDD And also glad you liked the chap anyway. xD Oh~ Yinyang pair in this chap. Forgive me? Hehe

**Miu Di Nuvola **– OMG hahahah that's sooo funny. Too funny that I don't think I can write it cuz' my level of humor isn't there yet. Lol. Thx for commenting btw~

**Grapes – **hehe glad I surprised you, then, and that you liked the chapter~ Thank you for reviewing! :D

**XHunterzX –** Super glad to know you think it's getting better! I feared a little while ago the story's going downhill. xD Thank you for reviewing~!

**Guest [Aug 16 2014] **– indeed~! That's actually one of the things she'll realize eventually. Not yet tho. I need lots of conflict. Lol. Thx for the review~

**SerenadePanda –** Thank you for reviewing! Hahah. I'm glad you liked the chap! Lol but oh wait. What I meant in my last reply was that it _won't_ be reaching 40 chapters. xD Not sure how many, but it likely won't reach that long. *wink*

**Tealovesreniaki x 2- **Ahaha don't worry. Killua won't fall for her—just rousing a bit more sympathy lol. And ara? I thought Killua forgetting Alluka was canon? XD Anyway, thx for the reviews and hope you don't mind the 'x2' there because I count so I'm sure I didn't miss replying to anyone.

**Esperanz –** Oh my~ If only Nerys could hear you she'd be saved from a lot of the humiliation to come. xD And that's a great line! And well-worded too. You should stock that and use it yourself someday. *thumbs up* (esp since there'll be different things happening in this story :D.) Thx for reviewing btw!

**Trizsh15 – (ch7)** Aww don't apologize! It's awesome you're here again~ Glad you're well! **(ch8) **Ahahah. IKR. Still having trouble picturing that myself. Hope I make something decent. xD Thx for the reviews btw~

**Mytiaaa **– ahahah IKR. xD Sorry~ Killua's super unstable at the time and Nerys is actually quite tempting. LOL. And yeah~ Gon and Kura will meet~! Next chap. xD Thx for the comment!

**Queen of the Avast Seas **– OMG. Hahahha As much as I want Gon and Killua to bang… I'm going to have to be conservative, being relatively older than most of you. xD I'mwillingtoreadsometho. Haha Thx for the review, btw! xD

**Kyouno-aru **– Lol indeed~! xD I hope they were _pleasant_ surprises tho! Haha. And yay! More people to empathize with Nerys~ *cheers* And thank you for reviewing!

**drawingRAMPAGE **– Whoa! OMG why didn't I know such concert exists? I'mSoJellyy. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the show! I hope I can watch the next one. And hahaha your reactions! xD I'm super glad I made you react so much lol and I'm so sorry to hear about your school work! Ah school. Gets in the way of fanfiction LOL. Thank you for reviewing btw~! :D

**Guest a.k.a. Ringo-chan **– Thank you for reviewing~! xD And Zebro's part's your favourite? That's so unusual that it's cool you liked it best. Hope I can keep it up~ xD

**Phoenix-Thunder –** IKR. Illumi? A dad? The apocalypse is coming. Hahha. And lol. I told you I'm torturing Kurapika. xD Such an awkward role he had that chapter. xD And glad you glad what I did with Nerys, and thank you for reviewing~

**S –** Yes I do have Tumblr. I don't use it tho other than following a few pairings from US TV shows I loved. Lol. Why? Because I don't know how to use it! haha

**Guest [Aug 18 2014] –** Thank you for reviewing! Glad you love the story so far! And don't worry~ I already outlined events far off, so I won't abandon this. ;)

**I'm a Guest – **I'm so happy you love the story so much! And lol yea. Them Bloodsworth should've seen it coming. xDD And Illumi realizing his mistake, eh? He will. But not any time soon. XD Thanks for reviewing and I hope the story can stay amongst your faves! ;)

**Aeva elementia –** Thank you for reviewing~! Well, not a lot of plot developments here per se, but I hope it's still a decent chapter! :D

**Yorumi1- (ch7)** No wonder I didn't see you! But you're here now so *hugs* (ch8) I know I know, but I had to make Killua break a little. Hihi It _has_ been 5 years. He should've been insane by now. XD And Thank you for the reviews~! :D

**Duskofdawns – **Yay! Another member of the Nerys pity party. *cheers* Oh, but if it makes things a little better, she didn't just fall for him by his looks. ;) I'll try to dwell on that a little later. Oh, and thank you for reviewing~! :D (And you should totally write fem! Gon. It's fun 3)

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**Thank you for reading!**

**As always, I would really really  
love it if you write on this  
wonderful box below. ;) **


	10. Island x Friends x Kurapika

**AD: **(1) For those who aren't aware, I have an authorpage on Facebook! Hahaha. It's called 'Nispedana, that humble fangirl'. *cackles* (2) For those who aren't aware, I have TWO more YinYang Pair multichaps. xD They're entitled 'Entwined' and 'The Hunter Club'—monarchy AU and HS AU, respectively. :D

**But most importantly—THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR FOLKS! Like forever, here's some virtual cake to those who lent me their support by reviewing, faving, following, and/or C2ing the story~**

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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…

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**CHAPTER 10: Island x Friends x Kurapika**

_Mito-san,_

_I'm heading to the Island now. I should be there in a day or so. I'm so excited to see you and grandma and all the creatures again! I'll tell you my stories in person this time. _

_Love, _

_Gon_

…

A major part of the boat trip was a blur. It felt like she was just staring at the sea for days, the sensual memory of the wind blowing at her face and the distinct smell and taste of the sea swathing the whole image. It was broken, then and again, by unusually cold winds, or particularly humid air, or the sound of animals… like it was now.

She heard the happy cawing of birds above her and a soft smile crept up her face without knowing.

"You're smiling?" A familiar baritone voice behind her said, amused. "Must be another storm."

She chuckled and shook her head. "The skies will be nice today, Captain-san." She paused to look at her old friend. "I just feel very nostalgic."

He let out his old man's laugh and lit up his tobacco. She stared at him for a while. "You know… you're not getting any younger."

He smirked. "I didn't know you've become a smartass." She grinned in response and he walked over to stand beside her. "How's Ging?"

"You know, the usual." She shrugged as if the old man knew. "He's staying at the Dark Continent."

The old man didn't say anything for a while, looking a tad startled. "Nothing less from him." He said. "What about you though? You alright kid?"

"Eh?"

"You've been brooding for hours now."

"Oh…" Images of a certain silver-head passed by her head. "I was just thinking of… an old friend."

"I see…" "Did you break up or something?"

"Eh?"

"Nothing." The old man shrugged (since it really was a nonsense teasing joke anyway). And, after puffing out smoke, he decided he wanted to ask her about the adventures she had since they last saw each other. But alas, since the last hour was quiet, there was _bound_ to be a disturbance. Peace and quiet that would extend to more than an hour in his ship would've meant that apocalypse was coming.

So when he heard another brawl heating up on another side of the deck, he really wasn't surprised. Didn't mean he wasn't annoyed though. He ended up chewing her cigar and throwing it away, irritated, and felt a particularly loud bellow coming. "STOP IT YOU BRATS!" He sroared. "OR I'LL THROW YOU ALL OVERBOARD!"

Gon sweat-dropped with an amused smile on her face before turning back to the sea, both hands holding the railing, and soon musing about how much bigger the world beyond was. But she returned _here_, to her home, and the first person she met was _him_. It _must_ mean something…, right?

But a nagging, more rational, thought kept reminding her to just travel back home. _He's trying to protect us_, she told herself, that became obvious to her since that night_. _And yet she knew that she had no right to act until she knew more.

She did not realize she was gripping the wooden railing to the point of producing a thousand splinters.

"I-Itte…" She whispered, her eyebrows arched due to the sting. However, as she stared at her palms, there was something inside her that flew off again. Like she was allowing herself to drown.

She wanted to see him again.

**…**

The boat arrived some three hours later. She bid cheerful goodbyes to the captain and his semi-new crew. The old ones she'd been friends with for sa while, the new ones were just skeptical she became a hunter at twelve.

She walked deeper into town and getting greeted by many familiar faces. After all, in a small island everyone knew everyone—particularly those who got back from travelling onto the outside world. Fortunately, they weren't so many as she would be crowded, but she certainly had no lack of people to chat with as she travelled deeper into the island.

Then, one time, in front of the town's bakery, a child stood. She was about 4 or 5 years of age, and Gon grinned at her. There weren't many children on the island, and it was nice to see one so young. The girl then decided it was not enough to stare from afar and began walking with Gon. Gon walked a little more slowly then.

"You're pretty."

Gon blinked at the unexpected comment. "…Thank you." She paused. "You're prettier."

The younger girl blushed at that, but before she could open her mouth to speak, another voice called onto her from afar. "GON!" It was another girl, one in her early teenage years, and she had the most familiar hair…

Her eyes widened the moment it dawned on her. "Oh my goodness Noko-chan?" She yelled, now standing only a few feet away. "You're so tall now!"

"Not as tall as you." Noko said casually. "Or as pretty." An shrugged before turning her head to the little companion by Gon. "I see you've met Sarah-chan. She's the only kid in town right now." Noko said, because she believed that being thirteen made her an adult (after all, _Gon_ became a hunter at _twelve_). The statement made Gon stare at Sarah for a few more seconds than usual, knowing full well what that felt like—to be the only kid, and subsequently yearn for a friend around her age—and something in her twinged at an odd feeling of nostalgia over something she couldn't even remember.

Because of that feeling, she knew _exactly_ who was involved in those lost memories.

"How's Hunter life? It's been so long!" Noko's enthusiastic tone pulled her out of her reverie. The younger girl's grin was contagious. She grinned back.

"Exciting." She said. "Even more than I imagined." But her smile turned to a tight-lipped one when she recalled how much lacking the memories she had left _to_ visualize. Silently, Gon wondered how long she'd have to endure feeling like that.

Noko nodded excitedly. "What about the exam?" "I'm thirteen now." Noko grinned. "I'll be entering the Hunter Exam in a year."

"It was fun." Gon responded honestly.

"Mou, Gon-chan! Don't go putting ideas in her head. She isn't as strong as you are." Another voice, an adult male, boomed good-naturedly behind them. There was still a hint of seriousness in his voice, though. "Too many people die in that exam."

Gon did not disagree.

"Dad. I said I'll go, I'll go!" She pushed, but not quite yelled. "I trained so hard!"

"Not enough." He said, and Gon noticed the two sacks of flour he was carrying with his bare hands. Gon remembered that he, the local baker, was one of the strongest on the island. He was one of the men who caught the Master of the Swamp before she did.

She was now a little curious at how strong Noko has become. She had been so small the last time she saw her…

"You goin' home, Gon?" He said as he put the two sacks on the cart. Gon nodded. "That's great! I'm heading there for a delivery. Want to go together? Or do you have to do something else?"

She shook her head. "I've delayed my homecoming enough." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "So sure! It'd be good to have company."

Gon gave Sarah a gentle pat on the head and, with Noko and her father, headed to her house.

**…**

"Gon~!" Noko called affectionately after a minute of walking. "What're the different types of hunters?" She paused for an afterthought. "And do they really do different jobs?"

"Well there're Archaeological Hunters who uncover ruins and ancient societies, Beast Hunters who study and preserve nature and animals, Blacklist hunters who hunt for criminals, Contract hunters who're hired by corporations to do specific jobs like surveys/research, uhm…" She paused as she rummaged her head. Enumeration was not her forte.

"There are also crime Hunters who reveals mysterious cases, Gourmet hunters who search for rare delicacies, Hacker Hunters… all I know is that they're good at computers…

"Head Hunters has something to do with finding and culminating talent, Information Hunters focus data/books, Jackpot Hunters for money, Lost Hunters look for missing people, Music Hunters rare musical pieces, err…" She paused when a particularly tall root appeared before them and she jumped over it. She watched as Noko did the same, and they grinned at each other.

"Any more?" Noko asked curiously, although she was already very much beaming in glee.

"Oh, right." Gon said. "Sea Hunters hunt in seas for animals and treasures, Temp hunters hunt rare and valuable items, Trouble Hunters… I'm not sure yet, Virus hunters find new elements for cures… and there are the Youth and Beauty Hunters…"

"There're so much to choose from!" Noko said with a squeal. "Which one are you?"

"I was a Beast Hunter." She paused. "But somehow I got to be an archaeological hunter cuz' of my dad." They were technically Lost Hunters now, though. But before she could say that she was cut off by Noko's father exclaiming.

"So it's true!" He yelled, eyes wide with joy. "You were with Ging all these years!"

"Yeah."

"My how time flies."

"So you _do_ agree that time flies."

"What's your point, daughter."

"Time flies. I'm grown up now. I can take the exam."

The baker knew well his only daughter had much power over him, but when it came to her safety—he would be firm. And, looking at Gon, Ging's daughter, he didn't have much of a choice.

"If Gon says you'll sure to survive the exam, then I will sign." He said, looking at Gon, and silently apologize for passing the decision to her. "Otherwise…"

Noko turned her head to Gon, then. Her face filled with anticipation. "Gon?"

Sadly, Gon would not lie. "I'm sorry Noko." She paused and her heartstrings were plucked by the young girl's expression dropping. "You'll probably die."

Her eyes widened at that. "I-I don't believe you!" She said firmly, yelling, but tears of disappointment and anger were lining up behind her orbs. "_You_ passed when you were **twelve**_!_"

Gon didn't answer, and this seemed to make the girl look even redder in the face. The girl squeaked.

"This is so unfair!"

And she ran off, right in the middle of the forests.

**…**

She turned her head to Noko's father who quickly dropped the cart and went after his daughter. Gon wanted to do the same, but she wasn't sure if she was welcome to do any comforting after what she just said.

That was, until she heard a scream.

"Don't do it!" That was Noko, yelling for someone. Gon sprinted to them and she caught up in no time. Noko's dad, hand stretched to cover her, shielding her from something. Gon followed their line of sight and saw Gonta, his wife, his son, his new cubs, and a dozen men pointing their guns at them. The foxbears were obviously readying to attack, but so were the men. One of them men smirked and shifted his gunpoint to Noko and her dad.

That man was familiar. She met him poaching there before. "You think we'd do as you say, little girl?"

"No." Her father said firmly. "You'd do as _I_ say." He said remaining stable as a shield, trying to emit strength.

There was something that flashed in the blonde man's eyes and something tingled in Gon that told her he'd be pulling the trigger in one second. Gon didn't need to think as her body moved on its own and the next thing everyone knew, the gun was flying a few meters away from its owner.

"It's illegal to poach here." She said calmly, thinking that this man was not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice—she might not remember when the first time was, but now it was because she _couldn't_ remember that she was sure it happened.

The men quickly pulled themselves together. "So?"

At least that confirmed that they knew that what they were doing was bad; they just didn't care and decided to do so anyway. They were sweating though, not just out of fear, but because of the Nen the youngest Foxbear was emitting. It wasn't enough to get them to lose consciousness, though, and they haven't been exposed long enough.

She sighed, bent down to gain momentum, and took them all out before they even realized she was attacking.

Oblivious to the father-and-daughter's gapes, she turned her head to her foxbear friends and went in for a hug. She couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the oldest offspring could use _nen_.

"So that's what it's like to be a hunter." Noko asked Gon as she walked towards her, watching the older girl wave goodbye to the beasts. "How far do you think those men will get in the exam?"

Gon stared at her for a while, before answering bluntly. "They probably wouldn't even get to the exam center."

**…**

Much farther up the mountain, a certain Kuruta was once again sipping his ginger tea, partly thankful that Mito held back on munificent information about her moments with Illumi, giving him just enough for facts and not too many undesirable images in his head. It wasn't difficult to make a conclusion.

Killua was being threatened—held prisoner; Illumi was here to ensure the bail didn't disappear.

How cruel of him to do this to Mito. Unless he grew fond of her… which, knowing Illumi, the Kuruta seriously couldn't picture happening.

Then again, Illumi performing coitus was something he didn't picture until this little revelation.

And there was the image again. If he wasn't who he was, he would've puked. Instead, he only shivered.

In any case he decided to hold back information. He was certain he was correct, but there was still that small chance he wasn't, and there was no point stressing out a pregnant woman. Kurapika remembered one of Leorio's soliloquies, after Neon's tantrum (Senritsu mentioned something about 'that time of the month') some time back.

'_Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned', _she said, and although it wasn't quite the same circumstance, Kurapika would rather not dare risk experiencing what he heard from Gon first hand. But more importantly—as much as it would simplify things—he would not risk a miscarriage.

Grandma began mumbling about how nice it would be to have another child in the house and then proceeding to the wedding preparations that certainly made Mito lose her footing. "_Mother!_" She yelled. "Don't say that as if it will happen!"

"Don't tell me you're having a baby, but you're _not_ going to be married?" Grandma asked rhetorically. "Don't be foolish child. There's a limit to pushing traditions away." Mito blushed at the implications and walked (ran) to her room to compose herself.

Hormones during pregnancy, after all, was at a different level. The already enthusiastic Mito, Kurapika thought with part amusement, was even _more_ emotional now… and that was saying something. Mito returned shortly then, seemingly calm, and Kurapika tried to rummage his head some information about bipolars.

But then before he could even begin to think of anything else, felt a familiar presence that made him straight shoot out of his seat. "Gon…!"

He wasn't even able to catch himself before he yelled out her name. If Kurapika's head wasn't ringing like it was, he would've shook his head in blunt self-disapproval.

Who was being emotional _now_?

**…**

He didn't even notice the two women staring at him, surprised, and he literally ran to the door. He stood a few meters outside the house, facing wherever he felt her presence. Soon the two women joined him.

"Did you say Gon's here?" Mito asked as she followed his line of sight, partly perplexed (because she wasn't seeing anything) and partly hopeful (because she knew sensing presences was a Hunter's skill).

They stared at the horizon for a few more seconds until he began to hear some sort of shuffling and the sound of wheels. And soon they could see their silhouettes and Kurapika was pretty much frozen in place after that.

"GON!" Mito yelled beside him and the woman ran to meet her niece. The older woman did the same and the three bear hugged each other for what felt like an hour.

The three laughed for a while telling each other things animatedly but Kurapika couldn't quite absorb any of them. And then, out-of-nowhere, Gon randomly turned her head to his direction and her eyes widened in response.

"…Kurapika?" She asked, as if to make sure, but she beamed even when he wasn't able to respond in time. "KURAPIKA!"

As he felt her weight against him—_she was so warm—_his hand absent-mindedly wrapped themselves around her, and he leaned down to bury his face to her shoulders. So much had changed. She was taller. She was softer. Warmer. Her scent was the same, but there were still so many different smells that told him of how much time had passed.

Still, for that rare time, he allowed his brain to shut down and just enjoy her presence again.

Eventually, they parted, but his hand was still on her hips and hers on his shoulders. Her face was burning in glee and he had to activate his head again to stop himself from doing anything that would make her uncomfortable.

In the end, Kurapika smiled. "Welcome back."

.

**.**

**END OF CHAPTER 10**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 11: Temptations x Dilemma x Choice  
**There's a difference between temptations and opportunities.

* * *

**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**LittleChomper –** Yep, Gon can fight Illumi now. Although... I won't necessarily make them fight so soon. Or will I? Hehehe. But *grabs hand* I agree—lets! Let's make Illumi suffer. Hahaha. Thank you for reviewing!

**Yugao702 –** Whoa! Thank you for saying you like this better than the original. xD I'm super flattered. And I totally understand the dilemma between the boys. xD You'll see soon (not now tho) what I planned and here's the next chapter! Hope you like it and thank you for reviewing~

**Kira Okami **– Aww I love you too..! Super glad you found the chapter wonderful and as always I will try to keep making them likeable. Thx for reviewing~! :D

**Darlingfedz** – I made you cry again? Oh man. I'm so sorrrry. xD I promise thing will get better for them… eventually. Hehe. Anyway, I'm glad you still find my writing one of the best *blushes* and thank you for reviewing~! :D

**KG-Ai –** **(ch8) **Yep~! Poor Zoldycks, falling for the painfully pure women. Haha. And loool. Milluki and Maha… they came out of nowhere. Haha. I'll try to make sense of them eventually. xD As for Illumi tho… let's throw him in the river! xD Thank you for reviewing, btw! :D

**Bluelup28 **– Hahaha yay! I'm relieved you liked that super short YY scene at the end…! xD It was pretty angsty, too. As for Illumi… let's go play darts on him for now. Hahha. Thanks for reviewing~

**Chani **– Aww haha. If it helps, I can say that it'll be one of the last Yinyang separation angst for a while. *wink* Anyway, I'm happy that you still find the story amazing and I'll try to keep it up. Thank you for reviewing! :D

**Yuki Candy Heart **– Thank you for reviewing~! :DD And I agree about Illumi and Nerys. Lol. But alas, for now, let's see them suffer slowly. XDD

**TECKK **– Yep~! That'd actually be a great development! But alas, I want to drag this out just a tiny bit longer. xD Hope it's okay and I hope you like what I'll be doing anyway. And of course, thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Grapes – **Whoa I'm so relieved you actually liked the Yinyang meeting. xD I was nervous since they haven't met for so long, and I end up making it angsty. Hahaha. Thx for the review, btw! xD

**Slytherin Studios – **Thank you for reviewing~! I'm happy you still like the story and here's the next chap!Hope it's decent. :D

**NariGray **– Yay! I'm glad that you liked what I did with the chap! *wipes off nervous sweat * hehe. I'll try to keep it up, of course, and thank you for reviewing! :D

**XHunterzX** – haha yeah I'm so sorry bout that. For now let's play darts on Illumi for ruining it. lol. Glad you liked the chapter! KuraxGon moments will happen next chap tho, and thx for reviewing~

**Trizsh15 –** I know right. xD But yeah… I'm thinking Killua's too traumatized to go with his feelings so soon. Plus it means longer stories! *grins* thx for reviewing, btw~

**CursedXQueenXDoll – (ch8)** *holds the cake* Thanks for this! Hahaha. Shall we eat it together? XD Anyway, I'm super glad you found the chapter awesome. xD** (ch9)** Ahahah same here, actually. Killua's being too dramatic. I wonder when he'd get over his trauma. xD Thanks for the reviews!

**ShoujoNoTadaina **– Thank you for reviewing! And yeah! Looking forward to more of our OTPs interactions too! According to my outline it won't happen so soon tho. /shot Hope that's fine~

**XKilluaX **– Whoa 3 am! You should get ample sleep! xD Sleep is almost as important as food y'know. xD Anyway, thank you for reviewing (the prequel as well)~! I'll do my best to keep at it. :D

**Multicolored Lotus **– Yeah I get your dilemmas. But I suppose I don't mind so long as they're not blood related. xD You'll understand when you're my age. *wink* Thank you for commenting, btw~

**Duskofdawns –** Whoa! Glad you thought the chap was so intense that you had to hold your breath! Banzaaii~ Thank you for reviewing, by the way, and don't forget to tell me if the fem!Gon story is up~!

**Chosanbhir – **LOL I wish so too! I actually wrote that part already because I had to see it. Too bad it's not gonna happen any time soon (since the events in between are undecided LOL) thx for reviewing btw!

**Guest [Aug 23 2014] a.k.a Bunny- (ch8)** Thank you for reviewing~! Haha. Glad you liked chapter 8 and that you're anticipating this one. Hope chap 9 and 10 doesn't disappoint~ xD

**Minerbbi** – IKR. What can I say? I'm a sucker for Romeo & Juliet relationships. xD There are just so much to write about~ hahah Thanks for commenting, btw! ;D

**Lexzly –** Thank you for reviewing! Super glad you thought the chap was great, and here's the next one! As always, I'm thoroughly hoping you angels enjoyed it xD

**Mytiaaa –** Hahah he is! I saw a thin! Milluki fanart a while back and man. Haha. Well, he kinda looks like a hotter megane-less Wing. Ihihhi. Glad you liked the chap btw, and thank you for reviewing~! :D

**Phoenix-Thunder –** I actually heard a lot of people couldn't access for a while. The FFn apocalypse is coming! Whoa. Hahah. Glad you liked the chapter btw, and thank you for the review~! xDD (I'm still thinking what the hell to do with Maha). lol

**Kyouno-aru – **No worries! I hope you're not overstressing yourself tho. :D Btw, I'm happy you liked the chapter! And thank you so much for reviewing~!

**Lizzys-chan – (ch1) **You're here!haha that was quick. I was just reading your review in Beginnings lol. **(ch9)** Happy you reached til the latest chap and that you liked it! Haha. Thank you for the reviews~! :D

**drawingRAMPAGE – **You felt sorry for that review? Hahaha no seriously don't. xD It made me grin like hell and it's not short at all! And lol, I'm happy you liked the chapter! You even reacted to pretty much every sequence in the chapter! Hahaha (I love it btw). And I hope you enjoyed this chap at least just as much. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope your exams went well! :D

**Mona Kleine – **Thank you for reviewing~! And whoa! xD Thank you for saying you like my twists and my characterizations! It means a lot to me as a writer. ;)

**Pri-Chan 1410 – **Here's the next chapter~! Hahaha. Hope it was entertaining enough~ Lol. And thank you for commenting on the previous chapter! Glad you liked it. :D

**Queen of the Avant Seas – **Oh. Hoohoho I can make no such promises. xD But maybe they'll have them anyway? XD And all will be well eventually no worries~ And thx for commenting~

**Sierra. Steinbrecher – (ch4) **You're here~! Haha. Welcome to the sequel. xD **(ch9) **Lol why didn't you want her to put it all together? XDD Oh and yes me too! The KuraGon moments will happen in chapter 11 tho. /shot. And thank you for the reviews~! xDD

**Tealovesreniaki –** Thank you for reviewing~! Hahah yay glad you liked the get-together. Too bad it ended up like that, but it's _something _right?! Haha

**Guest [Aug 30 2014] a.k.a. Bunny **– Aww I'm just glad you're here. Don't worry, I'm sure your lack of signal is stressful enough! Hope this somewhat late of a chapter is worth the wait! And thx for reviewing~!

* * *

…

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Hi folks! I hope you liked this chapter even when it felt filler-y~!  
And as always, do know that hearing from you guys—feeling that you're _there_—is my main  
motivation for writing.  
So please don't be shy. :D


	11. Temptations x Dilemma x Choice

**THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT SO FAR EVERYONE~! I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always please don't hesitate to leave your feedback below the chapter. In fact, please do! xD**

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

**…**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: Temptations x Dilemma x Choice**

Whale Island

It had been an eventful day, the group chatted far deeper after the sun went down. There were smiles beaming, rekindling hugs given, and jokes thrown more occasionally to alleviate awkwardness caused by issues buried deep enough to show themselves—only at the most unexpected moments.

When night came, and everyone assumed it was time to rest, Gon found that she still didn't want to go to sleep. And so, after little thought, she climbed up one of the trees that became an integral part of her house.

She had peaceful several minutes as she stared at the horizon filled with trees alone. She looked up the sky (something that was a habit of hers then) and saw that the moon that had circles surrounding it, due to the clouds, indicating that rain would come soon.

"Do you wish to be alone for the rest of the night?" Someone asked below, she did not flinch, and she shook her head. She didn't look down but instead scooted a little deeper into the branch's overhang as an invitation.

"Join me." She finally said and at that time he was already climbing the tree. He settled by branch's connection with the tree and Gon stared at him for a moment. He was wearing a long-sleeved collared button-up, like he was earlier, but this one's of a paler color, and black slacks. It would take her a while to get used to seeing him not wearing his traditional Kuruta clothing, and it filled her with longing for the old days—the days when she didn't feel so uncertain.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer for a while (she partially tuned it out, in fact), not ready to discuss those things just yet. Instead, she found herself staring at her old friend more, trying to memorize him again… in case she forgot about him again. She unknowingly held out her hand to touch the tips of his blonde hair. "Shorter hair looks good on you, Kurapika." She said with a soft smile, which he shyly returned.

"Longer hair looks good on _you_."

They grinned, before turning away from each other again, but this time it was Gon's smile that disappeared first. "Did you know?" She began sometime after the silence. "I haven't _thought_ about you or Leorio for five years." She whispered, tentatively looking back. "I'm sorry."

Kurapika didn't answer at first, a little startled. He always thought she was somehow threatened into not contacting them, but he kept that to himself, for now—he didn't want any sort of bitterness to seep into this moment. "It was difficult at first." He said. "But when I found out you were okay, nothing else really mattered." His hand found hers and squeezed it. He smiled.

"Glad to have you back, Gon."

**…**

Moments of comfortable silence passed by and the air got more and more humid. When droplets of water began dropping down from the sky, neither moved an inch. They just sat there as if nothing was happening. The tree's leaves were dense enough to protect them from the water, anyway.

As they listened to the tiny sounds of water hitting the leaves, the roof, and everything else its cloud covered, Gon began to discuss more about the tree.

It was rather poetic, Kurapika thought, of how a couple found two trees standing so close together above a hill. How the couple built a house in the space between. And how the trees, as generations passed, began bending towards the house and eventually becoming one with it.

"…like the two trees are lovers." Kurapika said so warmly that Gon couldn't help but stare. Kurapika blinked at this. "What is it?"

"Didn't think you'd be a romantic." Gon said with a grin. He grinned back and thought he thought so too. Until her, of course.

They allowed themselves to go to more idle chatters afterwards, and fortunately Kurapika's innate curiousness managed to distract him to more pressing, poignant, issues at hand. They eventually reached a surprising topic about Gon's home for the past five years.

"I didn't know the Dark Continent had so many humans…"

"Well, tribes and small towns." Gon corrected. "There were areas like valleys and plateaus where they can manage to survive." She waved her fingers like she was drawing a continuous line of valleys and plateaus in the air. "Valleys and plateaus… reminds me of Mito's mood earlier."

It was true, one moment she was bubbly, the next she was sobbing. Her slip-ups and pent-up bitterness were the ones that required most of the jokes to soften the mood. It didn't help that she occasionally revealed her nervousness about her lover, a lover Gon only knew by how he affected Mito in so many ways.

"She's pregnant." Kurapika finally said, not knowing what better way to put it. It was better to be straight-forward with Gon, anyway. He watched her as she absorbed what he just said. She finally did, a second later.

"_EH?!"_

He nodded grimly, knowing he'd have to drop another bomb. "With Illumi's child."

"Oh…"

She stared at him blankly at that, and he thought she was just having a hard time absorbing it..., or perhaps waiting for him to say he was just joking. But he wasn't, and later he realized that the blank, unsurprised, expression was actually just that: Unsurprised. Not because she knew it was him—she didn't even know Mito was pregnant—but it was as if she didn't _recognize_ who Illumi was at all.

Then a thought came to him, and he found himself facing her completely. She unconsciously mirrored him, and tilted her head in puzzlement. "When you said you haven't thought about us… what do you mean?"

She scratched the back of her head, a habit of nervousness, and shyly looked to him, guilt on her eyes—and Illumi momentarily forgotten. "I forgot about everyone here, except maybe Mito and grandma."

He must've shown a very troubling expression to make her fumble. "I-It's—I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to forget everyone. Everyone's important to me."

Kurapika nodded gravely. "Do you know who Illumi's brother is?"

"Who?" Should she?

_She doesn't remember Killua?_

"Kurapika?" She called on to him nervously. He wondered if his eyes were suddenly red.

"Do you know someone by the name of…" He paused, a little terrified, honestly. "Killua?"

"Yeah." She said quietly, and he felt his shoulders slump a little. "He… was one of the first people I met."

His lips formed a thin line at her words. _Coincidence is never this cruel, _he mused dourly_. Fate, however, _is_. _

_Too much so. _

"He told me he was one of my friends before." She said, already moving past the fact that she was the one who surmised it. "I thought that maybe… them—his family—making me forget about him, made me forget about everyone else. I've been a horrible friend."

But Kurapika did not respond so readily, because he did not agree. He knew the answer to her problems, and her being a bad friend was definitely not the cause. It was the opposite in fact…, and for someone who knew her well, figuring it out had been so _easy_.

It was because she would forget anyone too closely associated with her time with Killua—and that was _everyone_.

If forgetting family wasn't particularly anomalous, she probably would have forgotten all about Mito and her grandmother as well. But how was he supposed to explain it to her?

That she forgot about them because she had _loved_ too much… too deeply?

"It doesn't matter." Was all he said before he realized their proximity was reduced to a mere foot. "I just want to make up for the lost years."

He didn't know how it happened nor did he realize his hand was already caressing her long silky hair until it was there. Kurapika noted how the natural tint of pink suddenly adorned her face, her long eyelashes framing her orbs, and her wide innocent eyes…

Kurapika was being tempted to do something impulsive, he realized, and he **was **about to lose his control—heck for a moment he didn't even _care_—until memories of his last encounter with Killua dispersed all over his head. Images of how he yelled at Killua, how furious he was at him… and just how much he wanted him _dead_… came so vividly. So clearly. So painfully.

Remorse was a powerful emotion, and it made him freeze.

So he lifted his hand to pat her head instead, and then sent her a small smile. "Gon…" he said.

"Want to spar?"

**…**

Meanwhile, on another part of the world—with an ironically more temperate in weather—a certain Nerys Bloodsworth was trying desperately to calm the stirrings inside her. It was annoyance, anger, offense, and one more thing her brain seemed to _refuse_ to acknowledge.

In any case, there was only one person to blame her predicament to.

"How _dare _he?!" Nerys yelled loudly, but only loud enough for the people in her room to hear, as she threw the pillow to the wall, getting the feathers within to fly to every direction. It wasn't easy to remain cool while talking to Illumi and Milluki, having all these inside, but having to keep these emotions contained made her anger so much more _irritating_.

Sitting stoically by the upholstered chain beside door, Canary watched on. And after waiting patiently for Nerys to calm, Canary finally voiced out her thoughts. "It will not be easy getting through to him."

"Obviously." _Where's the fun in _that? Was what she wanted to think, but it wasn't like that anymore—to her chagrin. This was too stressful to be even remotely fun.

_How dare he. How dare he— "How dare he _humiliate_ me?"_

"This makes me think master Killua is merely a conquest." Canary said out-of-nowhere, a statement, and Nerys straightened her body up. That was what she thought at first, now she wasn't so sure. But hell she'd admit that to a mere servant.

Nerys raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"Then you cannot expect my help in that matter, Nerys-sama." Was all she said, and was calmer than Nerys expected her to. The girl stood up and bowed her head, heading to the door. However, as she held it open, Canary turned her head slightly to her.

Nerys felt just a little nervous but stared coolly in response anyway, appearing to wait carelessly for what the dark-skinned girl was about to say.

"Nerys-sama." Canary said calmly. "When you were rejected… what did you feel?" She asked, and Nerys did not bother to answer. Primarily because she didn't know how.

"Rather than feeling offended…" Canary's tone indicated her questions were rhetorical, so Nerys only stared. A moment later she thought she should've interfered.

"Don't you think that you just feel _hurt_, instead?

"If so…, then please let go of your pride." She paused, just before leaving. "…because otherwise you will stand no chance."

**…**

_Stupid Canary_, saying some stupid things and then leaving her to her own devices_._ Nerys continued mumbling internally as she began walking through the corridors.

It was really to calm down her nerves. Now even Canary was pushing her buttons and unlike how she was used to—she couldn't do anything to make everything better. It was disgraceful, it was humiliating, and it really _just had to end._

She didn't know how long she was walking until from one of the windows she saw _him_—the cause of it all—only a floor above her. From below, she watched as Killua brooded at the estate's highest balcony.

It felt like hours (it probably was), and she hated the fact that she loved watching him so much. It was that one other object she loved looking at for a long time, that wasn't her own reflection.

Then, out-of-nowhere, without facing her, he spoke. "I'd like to think that me ignoring you would give you a message of leaving me alone."

Her eyes widened. (_He talked to her_._ Of his own will, too!_) But she shook those thoughts away and buried them to the back of her head. She was not happy just because he talked to her. That would be debasing.

In any case after she gulped down her nerves, she jumped up and manoeuvred herself to the gracefully land to the upper floor. Nerys sauntered toward him and stood beside him in the balcony. She let her eyes wonder from his face down to his lean but muscular arms, and then to his hands.

She flinched at the sight of it, because it was sharp and ready to be used as a weapon.

He didn't need to say it: he did not want her there. But Nerys didn't leave. She wasn't _weak_—and the feelings she was having these past weeks were making her feel that way. She was going to change that.

Besides, Nerys always got what she wanted. "My brothers do say that I love what I can't have." Of course, she always had what she loved in the end. "But be flattered—you are the first person I wanted."

He didn't react nor did he even flinch.

She realized he wasn't just ignoring her for the sake of overlooking her –he wouldn't have problems with that—but now she knew he was actually staring at _something_, making his dismissal of her presence easier for him to do. Nerys looked out the dark horizon and saw nothing but clouds.

She wanted to know what was so good about this sky, and she ended up looking at what it covered. Somewhere near the horizon line was a small village, surrounded by forests and clearings. She unconsciously hid her presence, a habit when she wanted to observe something without being sensed, and she turned her head to look at him.

_Doki_

He was wearing that blasted yearning look she _hated_ to see because it made her insides burn. Burn with what—anger, annoyance, or a yearning of her own—she wasn't sure anymore. Still she was Nerys Bloodsworth, and like hell she'd show weakness to a man who didn't even look at her.

So she combed back her silky hair and straightened herself up, resting her weight on the stone balustrade. "I'm guessing something happened with _Gon_ there."

As always, the mention of her name could change his face so easily. From his yearning look, his face showed guardedness and annoyance again. She was getting used to this (or at least she'd like to think so) and she gave him a confident smile which usually never failed to make men's heart stop.

Instead, Killua looked at her with those cold eyes of his. Honestly? Even when her stomach dropped, she wasn't really surprised. Of course him being immune _now_ didn't mean he'd stay that way forever. "So… did you two finally break up or something?"

Something in Killua's eyes twitch that made her fear for her life. "Go ahead. Kill me." She said, carefully eyeing his sharp hands. "You know what both our families will do to them—"

He turned his body to face her instantly, his teeth oddly seeming sharper as he gritted them. "Don't you _dare_ threaten them in front of _me._" He growled, reflexively placing his sharp hands as a threatening knife over her throat.

She backed away, and almost turned to run. But then her feet stopped when she could manage to think past through the ringing of her ears, and she realized he didn't even address her anymore—never by her name—and now not even by a pronoun.

She didn't want to be _nothing_ to him.

Then she realized Canary was right: She felt so much more hurt than offended.

And that meant this was more than just pride. Then she recalled those moments his lips was against his. That _longing_, that love—she wanted to feel that again.

And with that acceptance, she knew she was screwed.

But she was a strong woman, she told herself. It was something she took particular pride in. So she kept her stance and looked into that beautiful, _beautiful,_ deep dark eyes of his.

"_Listen, _Killua." She said, begging herself to push away the arrogance. She wanted him. And as Canary's words began to finally ring in her ears, she thought that maybe—just maybe—she needed to do another approach. "She spent _five years_ afar from you, not even knowing you exist." And she paused, readying her feet to run at what she was about to say, just in case.

"Maybe she already has a lover."

His eyes widened and for that moment she was able to peek through that closed window that was his heart. And managing to know the right places to hit gave her the courage to push further.

"It will never be the same." She continued on. "Gon is—

"No." She stopped herself. _Enough about Gon. _"But rather than sulking your years away… why don't you settle for 'something'?

"It's better than nothing…" She pushed on, and it tasted **bitter**. Alas, she swore he'd change his mind after she was done with him. "I can make you feel… warm, again."

Killua was frozen. Because of which sentences, she couldn't tell… yet. But Nerys remained in place, staring.

He had been suffering for five years, and she kept giving him a choice: a choice to continue suffering, or to_ feel_ something again.

And this time, when she turned to leave, she left with her dignity. And as she sauntered away, she could not help but let out a satisfied smile.

How long could he resist?

**…**

"Illumi."

Deeper into the estate, to a room where no natural light enter, another meeting between father-and-son was held.

"Yes, otou-sama."

The last time he was there, a few days back, he was sent for a mission to another continent disallowing him to meet Mito again. It put him in a fouler mood than he had anticipated. The targets died a lot faster that night.

"I've heard they've made contact." Silva said to him, as he stood firm a few meters in front. "The two kids."

He flinched at his father's words. He knew he never told anyone of that, not yet, and he told himself it was because it was not yet time. It must have been that Nerys girl who informed her father, the nosy brat.

Still, he would not lie to his father. "Hai, otou-sama."

"You are the one who watches her family, yes?" He nodded. And Silva stared at him for a while, Illumi stared back, waiting patiently for his orders—like always. He barely noticed the watchful eyes of his father then, as if waiting for him to reveal something he did not want to show.

Still, perhaps too soon, Silva spoke. "Kill her aunt."

Silence passed by then. But in contrast to the fact that it was usually how preferred it, this time it was_ deafening_.

Flashes of her smile, her laughter, her brightness flashed through his head. But he closed his eyes and put them at the back of his head—like he was erasing the pictures with jet black ink.

Family would always come first. This time should be no different.

And with that, he looked at his father the way he used to and nodded readily. "Consider it done."

.**  
.**

**END OF CHAPTER 11**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 12: Delusion x Family x Fidelity  
**Nerys dreams on, Gon celebrates her birthday, and Illumi returns to the Island.

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS **

**Slytherin Studios **– Thank you for reviewing~! Haha And I'm really glad you still find the chapters so far nicely done. ;)

**Bluelup28** – Lol it's progress alright! Hahah. I apologize more in advance because the progress seems pretty slow. xD Glad you liked the chapter btw, and thank you for reviewing~

**KG-Ai – **I just remembered that cool coincidence you thought of with your name xD KilluaGon Love? Or is it KurapikaGon Love? Hahaha. And it's cute how you're like running a commentary with your OC over there haha. Thx for the review btw~

**LittleChomper –** hahha. Which image? xD Tell me and I'll try to help. *cackles* And no worries~ in the end Kurapika will be…er… not as miserable as he is in canon, I guess? Ahahha. Thanks for reviewing and glad you liked the chap! :D

**Dolce-tasie** – Your ships will get messed up? Well then, I hope it does! Hahaha. *cough* I'm sorry. xD Anyway, glad you thought the chap was great and thx for reviewing! :D

**Trizsh15 –** N'aw you're not fickle. Anime guys tend to confuse us often. Hahah. Anyway whoa! I'm pleasingly surprised that you want a Guardian pair moment! Hahha Wohoo! Oh and thx for the review btw~

**Jonica77 –** Thank you for reviewing~! xD Here's the next chappy! Full of Kurapika here in this chapter. Hahaha. I hope you like it! :D

**Chosanbhir** - Ahaha Yinyang pair ftw! But alas goody pair is so cute I couldn't help but put a lot of them. Heheh. Hope you like this chap and thx for the review! :D

**Pri-Chan 1410 –** Yay! Glad you love the chapter. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Haha. Thank you for reviewing, btw~!

**Sierra. Steinbrecher –** Yep! Poor girl's gonna die. Then Whale Island will have, like, one kid left. Hahaha. And thank you for reviewing. :D

**Digilover23** – Thank you for reviewing~! Oh and although I would've loved to read the review for the previous chap, it's the thought that counts right? Don't mind don't mind~ *brofist*

**Dianamehhh **– Lol your hopes will be answered! In a sense. I'm no good with the open fighting for that one girl sort of story. xD Anyway, super glad you like my writing! And thanks for reviewing~! xD

**Jennosaur – **Thank you for reviewing~! I'm really happy to know you love the story so far! I'll do my best to keep at it xD. And sure! Just tell me and I will. ;)

**Mytiaaa –** Yep! Hahah. Thank you for supporting my FB pages, then! xD And yes! It is romantic! Altho some would prefer to see it as platonic. In which case it is platonic. LOL. Thx for reviewing too~

**NariGray** – Whew! I'm glad that you didn't mind the filler-y chapter then! :D And I'll be here~I could get a day or two late, but I don't think I'll exceed 2 weeks. Thx for reviewing as well~

**Darlingfedz x 2 – **Thank you for the reviews! Hahha. Relieved that you thought even the filler-y chapter was great! xD And lol. So many questions! Questions that'll be answered…eventually lol. And oh don't worry I'm one of the friendship-over-romance people so I won't be destroying friendships by love tris. *wink*

**XKilluaX –** You check every day?! I apologize I was a few days late then! xDD Hope the chaps are worth it, and thank you for commenting! :DD

**ShoujoNoTadaina –** Thank you for reviewing~! Glad you enjoyed the chapter, despite the utter lack of Yinyang (this chap too though, unfortunately). Hope this one didn't disappoint~

**Mona Kleine –** Ehh?! Whoa thank you for thinking it was the most heart-warming scene you've seen, then! Hope the subsequent KuraGon moments doesn't disappoint. xD And lol. You don't have to request 'that' scene! Because it's gonna happen. *wink* *Wink* Thx for reviewing btw~

**Grapes –** Thank you for reviewing! Suupper glad the whole KuraGon reunion, albeit short, did not disappoint! *giddy dance* You even thought it was perfect xD

**Guest [Sept 2 2014] **–Don't worry, an angel/reviewer will never be a bother to me. Which part btw? I'm planning on showing the whole AgathaxGing thing rather than telling, you see… and thx for reviewing~

**TECKK –** Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the chap. And don't worry, I'm not _that_ sadistic Hihi. She won't fall for Kura-kun. *wink*

**Tochiome-chan** – Lol me neither. I can't imagine the anime Illumi being romantic at all! (I had to rely on fanarts lol). Glad you liked the pairing and thx for the review! :D

**Queen of the Avant Seas** – IKR. Haha. Illumi's lucky but he doesn't know it yet. Oh and yeah. Haha. I can only say Kurapika won't be as miserable as he could get lol. Thank you for reviewing btw!

**Phoenix-thunder -** Yay! Glad you liked the addition of Noko. She needed it! They were the only kids back in the day after all. Thank you for reviewing and happy you think the chap was great! xD

**drawingRAMPAGE** – Ah exams. Darn them, but then we appreciate holidays even more! Wohoo happy holidays! xD Congrats on feeling good about the exams btw, not a lot of people feel that way. :D Oh. OH! A milestone! *fires fireworks* 10 chappies! Wohoo! Super glad you liked (and noted) so much of the elements in the chapter, even the tiny ones, and the smallest details. xD The long review made me grin the whole way. Thank you for that! And whoa! When's your bday? :D

**fireandcrystal101 –** Thank you for commenting! Super glad you found it interesting. I'll do my best to maintain that. xD Hope this chap doesn't disappoint~

**Guest [Sept 7 2014] a.k.a. Bunny** – haha thank you for reviewing~! But I won't spoil anything with the whole KuraGon thing *cackles* I just hope they don't disappoint. xD Here's the next chap! Enjoy. :D

**Yugao702 **– Aww haha glad the chapter made you squeal so much! xDD Not sure how I'll do a whole explicit KilluaxKura fight tho. By experience I don't do those scenes well. Who knows tho! Anyway, thanks for reviewing~

**XHunterzX – **Thank you for reviewing~! Glad you liked the chapter! And the KuraGon meeting too! And I hope this Killua-inclusive chap won't disappoint. xD

**chani - **Awww so sweet, thank you for incessantly trying to review despite the obstacle. I appreciate that. :D And all your wishes will come true… in due time. Hahaha. I need Killua to get over his trauma first. xD

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…

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Thanks for reading! xD

Like it? Hate it? **  
Whatever you thought, please do me a little favour  
before leaving and TELL ME! *cackles***


	12. Delusion x Family x Fidelity

**YAY I'm here! A relatively long chapter too. Haha. Well, compared to the last one (I think the word count doubled! wohoo). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this even tho it's kinda angsty. And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. :D **

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

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…

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**CHAPTER 12: Delusion x Family x Fidelity**

_She moaned in pleasure as she immersed herself in the feeling of his warm lips all over her skin. He felt _heavenly_—their similarly frigid skins rubbing together was indescribable. Together, their cold bodies created warmth of their own. _

_When he claimed her lips with his—deepening it every stroke—all coherent thought flew out the window, and she couldn't find a hint inside her to even care. _

_She had no control, yet oddly she felt _glad_—relieved, even. _

_Nerys felt amazing. She felt _free.

_But then in a flash she saw, all too clearly, his hand instantaneously turned into a knife. Her eyes widened in response, and she automatically looked for his eyes to find out what this was for. _

_But when she did, she automatically wished that she hadn't._

_His eyes… they were dark like the pitless wells she threw a little girl once. And in an instant—he plunged his sharp hand into her stomach. It was too sudden to feel pain. _

_And like the people she killed, she was sucked into the darkness as well._

Nerys opened her eyes, shocked, sweating, and crying.

When he didn't grab her arm when she turned for the door the previous day—to place kisses, to tell her he was willing to _try_—she half expected him to come at night and sneak into her bed. It wasn't preposterous, nor was it impossible. Her charms weren't weak.

But that man's wall was too high.

She wondered what _else _she had to do to break it.

**…**

_WHALE ISLAND_

"Gon! Kurapika! Time to wake up now!" Mito's clear voice echoed across the house. There was no answer. She whipped her head to her mother, who was sitting on the table reading newspaper. "Geez, what's taking those two so long?"

"You better ready breakfast for two." The older woman said, putting down her paper. "Those two fell asleep only a few moments before sunrise. I saw them as I waited for the newshawk to arrive."

Mito stared at her for a while, absent-mindedly continuing on readying her cooking equipment (she really wanted to bond with those two through cooking), before finally uttering anything.

"What?" She asked. "What they were doing?"

Grandma shrugged in reply. "Whatever kids do nowadays." And then gave Mito a pointed look when their eyes met. "Not _that_." "I think they were having a duel."

"Oh."

And true enough, the two kids woke up when the sun was at its zenith, just in time for the preparation of lunch. Well, Kurapika helped. Gon was still too groggy so she decided to take a bath.

"Well, we'll be cooking her favourite dishes so I guess we should surprise her, then?" Mito said with a shrug as she chopped the vegetables. Really, it was already a tradition during her birthday so Gon probably wouldn't be surprised.

"She'll probably be able to tell by the smell." Kurapika said and she smiled.

"Yes, and that too."

Comfortable silence occupied the kitchen after that, with Mito being impressed with Kurapika's knowledge about cooking. But then she soon noticed Kurapika's mind seemed to be going elsewhere. Considering many of the conversations she had with him, she had a vague idea of what it was about.

"Are you still wondering what to give her?"

"…"

She chuckled. "I told you not to stress yourself out." She said. "She just wants it as simple as possible—with all of us with her. Her favourite food is a must, of course."

Kurapika didn't disagree. But he didn't quite agree, either. "She would've loved to spend her eighteenth birthday with him." He said, making Mito blink a little in surprise.

In the end though, she gave him a worried smile. Mito still didn't know what happened with Killua, but she felt like she couldn't ask about him. Not yet. But regardless, it worried her so.

"Well, since you've implied we can't have him today…" She paused and looked at him, noting quite obviously how strained he was becoming. "What of her nineteenth, then? Her twentieth?" Mito paused. "What do you think?"

Kurapika only stared at her in silence, before resuming his preparation for the food's spices. "Only time will tell." He mumbled, albeit he wasn't quite sure what answer he was honestly hoping for.

"I can't just wait here you know." Mito retorted almost immediately. "Can you give me a hint, at least?" She said, an undertone of what could be considered a plead present in her voice. "At this point, will Killua be able to make Gon happy?"

"He won't be able to protect her." Was his response instead, as if it was all the answer Mito needed.

All he'd hear after that was the running water, the slow chopping sound made by the board and the knife, and the rustles of the leaves outside. When he heard simmering by the furnace, Mito finally broke the awkward pause in the conversation.

"One of the few things I've learned, in my years of inexperience, is never to escape your heart. Listen to it." She said.

"…so that it won't make that one traitorous blow."

**…**

"So… who won?" Mito asked, some several minutes later in the dining table. Gon, who was then chewing her viand, raised her hand, that proud twinkle in her eye obvious.

"I dweed."

Mito was stirring the soup, then, and she found herself pausing what she was doing and raised an eyebrow. She did not expect that. "Oh?"

"She's grown stronger." Kurapika said in assent. They only used the basic nen techniques but he could tell that Gon grew in ways he didn't anticipate—her aura was as smooth and well-controlled as the best he had encountered—while he got rusty through the years of administrative work, despite being a Zoldiac (especially since he was one of the few, along with Leorio, who remained in the main land). Even with his eyes red, she had no trouble in dealing with him.

But whatever the case, he was proud of her, more than the words he told her could express.

They ate lunch amicably, the topic primarily about their duel all the way until the time they were already cleaning the table. The two older women seemed to have gained interest in fights, particularly since neither of them had blood.

For the duration of that short instant, Kurapika and Gon made a silent agreement that the women didn't have to know that both of them had maximum reinforcement abilities, and they were actually very bloody during the fight.

Then they realized there was the laundry which would, in no way, disappear without the women noticing. So the next instant their eyes met and they gave nervous shrugs.

"We just heal quickly." Kurapika finally admitted. "We don't want you to be worried once you see our bloodied clothes."

And the two women gaped at that.

It was a good thing they had already finished eating.

**…**

Gon didn't seem to be bothered as she collected the plates, unconsciously using 'In'—something that became a habit when she did menial task and her mind began wondering around.

Unfortunately for Mito, she turned around at a moment where Gon seemed to have appeared out-of-nowhere. "Oh!" She yelled, almost dropping the porcelain in her arms. "You surprised me!"

Gon blinked (apologized without thinking) and then her eyes widened as if she just had a light-bulb moment. Which she _did_. She turned her head to Kurapika, who was already done wiping the table. "Ne, Kurapika. I got an idea."

Kurapika wordlessly waited for her to continue. "Well…" She said, walking closer. "Want to see who can hold 'In' longer?"

The Kuruta only stared, and the women couldn't quite tell whether he was waiting for Gon's 'I'm kidding' tag or if he was seriously considering her offer.

"Okay." He said with a playful smile, partly surprising Mito (who ended up with an internal bright smile afterwards).

On the other hand, Kurapika was silently thinking of how to make the game even more interesting. Even before they were apart, Gon had the advantage on that technique, given her predisposition and the environment she grew up in. Still, whatever he did with Gon he always found fun.

"What about we play hide-and-seek while we do so?" He said, in the midst of some child-like enthusiastic phase brought about by Gon's earnest stare. Frankly, Kurapika was a little surprised he came up with that—the last time he played that game was over a decade ago when Pairo was alive. But when Gon beamed like she did at his idea, he couldn't find it in him to take it back.

"Sure!"

.

He was almost two years past _twenty _and she had just turned eighteen, but—as he had seen with how much fun they were actually having, after a few rounds, a few animal encounters, and _acres_ of forests spanned—he realized that that didn't stop them from feeling like children again.

Kurapika was glad he came.

**…**

It was almost dusk when he arrived.

"Illumi!"

Mito yelled the moment she saw him in front of her doorstep, and gave him a warm embrace. It took him a little longer than usual to hug her back, and he refused to dwell on _why_ it was so difficult.

It was no surprise that he was particularly easy-to-cringe that moment. However, he flinched when he heard rustles of leaves in the forest behind him. As they approached, his eyes widened ever so slightly—and that meant he was thoroughly not anticipate this.

He did not expect two of his brother's former friends were there.

Why didn't he sense them?

He was tempted to throw needles at them at that moment for not being on the plan.

"_Oh_, Illumi!" Mito chirped behind him, making him momentarily throw out his hostile thoughts. "This is Gon! And that's her friend Kurapika."

"Ah." He said, using his usual tone of voice. Gon, who was staring at him (understandably) with fear in her eyes seemed to have snapped out of it and forced a smile. The blonde, on the other hand, only lifted his guard but seemed to understand that he wasn't going to attack (yet), so he kept quiet and played along.

Good.

The moments that followed had not been problematic, Gon was expectedly wary of him, despite not knowing who he was. He had seen enough of the girl's instincts to know how deeply they worked for her. The acting Mafia lord was ready to attack the whole time, but inconspicuously enough that Mito and the grandmother wouldn't have any idea at all.

But then there was Mito, herself. At many points she seemed jumpy, as if she was hiding something from him. That part sat particularly badly with him.

"So who won this game?" Mito asked as they sat on the dining table for the dessert (dinner had been mysteriously effortful to swallow so no one spoke, except to the cook, Mito, herself).

It was a collection of fruits prepared by grandma, to make up for Mito's sudden lack of cooking skills. There was an especially large amount of mangoes though, and Mito was the one who ate most of it. No one else seemed to notice nor mind it, and Illumi wondered why he even noticed.

In any case, Gon raised her hand to answer Mito's question. "I did." She grinned. "I'm the best hide-and-seek player out here."

"Yes, she did. And she _is_." The blonde said with a smile, pretending that he wasn't there. Gon had the advantage, obviously, growing up in the place.

Gon grinned before her eyes darted towards the plates as she went to eat another slice of apple. "There're no more mangoes." She stated, looking at Mito. "Would you like me to get more, Mito-san?"

"Is mango your new favourite?" He asked and Gon perked up to answer.

"Oh. It's Mito's—"His and Gon's eyes met around that time and Gon, after gulping her nerves, decided to speak with him. "I hear you're a businessman." She said, forgetting the inquiry she was about to make, which suspiciously made the blonde relax a little (which meant he was tension filled a moment prior). "How often do you have free time to visit here, anyway?"

"A few times a month." He answered in his monotone voice, and looked at Mito. "However, something came up and I don't think I'll be seeing any of you for a while."

"Eh?" Almost everyone couldn't help but utter out. Illumi's eyes slid down to the table, an act that felt degrading but inevitable. Illumi felt heavy, despite wearing such light clothing. He almost said something apologetic, but he never uttered such words before—so he didn't say it.

Not by words, anyway.

"It wasn't something I could refuse." He said, thinking of something entirely out-of-context for them.

"Everyone has a choice." Gon said almost absent-mindedly, but she suddenly looked so much more stern. Illumi began to notice the atmosphere shifting even further.

"Gon, want to spar again after this? I think I'll win this time." Kurapika said, effectively cutting her off.

Illumi wondered if it was done on purpose and looked at the blonde deeply. However, whichever case it was, Gon didn't seem to have minded and just beamed in the way women in this family beamed.

Kurapika gave Gon a small smile, before sending Illumi a wary glance, and finished up his food. But at the action, he noted an unreadable expression on Mito's face. She got paler.

Regardless, the youngest ran out as soon as they were done.

**…**

The adults finished their food a little later than the others, and before then the table was completely silent. Grandma was the one who broke it as she started to take the plates.

"Mito." She said, easily catching his attention. She was looking deeply at the Mito. "You look tired." "You should rest a little earlier tonight."

"Are you unwell, Mito?" He asked as soon as the old woman finished her sentence. His eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, and his already plastered frown deepened.

Really, he saw no sense in worrying _now_, but he did. "Is this still the shellfish?"

"A-Ah. I'm fine." She smiled in reply. But it was another one that didn't reach her eyes, and it reminded her of that day years ago. She kissed his cheek before he could ask anything.

"I'm just a little tired." She admitted. "You should rest too." And she went up to her room without another word.

**…**

Gon stretched her arms fully above her head as she felt the fresh mountain air that hit her the moment she walked out the door. It was already well into the night, and it would make the game all the more exciting. She made a satisfied moan as she did so and stared at the stars.

Besides, it was particularly liberating to be away from the mysterious stranger she feared for no apparent reason. She also hoped the adults would be able to fix their dilemma (she was rarely a help with those issues, she thought), and she hoped Mito would finally tell him. It _was_ his child, too, after all. He should know. And maybe he'd change his mind about putting his job first.

"So what rules are we going to play this time?" She asked and turned to Kurapika who followed her through the door.

However, her excited smile disappeared when she saw how serious his face was. He was partly facing the interior of the house, before he dragged her further away from the house. "Be careful what you say to Illumi, Gon."

"What?"

"I don't think we should let him know Mito's—" Then he stopped, whipping his head towards the house again. "He's coming here." Gon didn't flinch, she felt his presence too. And it was strong. She began to wonder again why she shivered in terror when she first saw the man.

And then a thought occurred to Kurapika—was it worth it to leave the house to tell Gon his thoughts? What if Illumi was going to harm the other two women?

A feeling of dread washed over him.

He saw—_watched—_Mito and Illumi's interaction with a critical eye. Kurapika didn't realize he had been counting on the fact that Illumi could have genuine feelings for Mito when he left them alone in the house, the fact that he was wearing normal clothes and didn't act as cold as he could get added to that.

How could he have even hoped for that? _Illumi_ Zoldyck…? To care about someone outside his family was nonsense—he should have known better. He was about to run to the house's interior, but then he sensed him getting closer.

"Did you do anything to them, Illumi?" He asked out loud before he even saw him. Gon looked at him, startled and confused, before following his line of sight again as Illumi emerged.

"You mean aside from helping them with cleaning the table?" He asked with that trademark monotone of his, but it reeked of irony, and it made Kurapika all the much worried.

Should he tell him? No. Knowing Illumi, Mito being pregnant probably wouldn't change his mind. It might even make him want to finish her faster.

"Stop fooling around Illumi—what are you planning to do to them?" He said, stepping closer to get Gon behind him, throwing her much further into confusion. _It will all be clear soon Gon, I hope_, he mumbled as a sort of unvoiced apology before sending a glare to the ebony-haired Zoldyck. "You're an assassin, who lives all the way in another continent. What do you 'think' I'll assume?"

"He's a _what_?" Gon yelled before unconsciously stepping closer. Kurapika extended his hand to keep her in place. "Kurapika!" She called, pleading. "What's going on?"

"He's Killua's brother, Gon." He said, rather sharply, and he mused even Gon probably didn't miss the bitterness in his words. "He's probably the one who made you forget all about him."

She couldn't speak for a while, she was pale and her mouth was open gaping. Illumi just watched them like the statue that he could be. After a few long seconds she inhaled as much oxygen as she could and exhaled loudly, to compose herself.

Still, not a lot of words came to mind. "Is this true?" She said, gulping, and tilted her head to look at the accused lover of her beloved aunt.

Illumi didn't answer. He even _shrugged_, as if to show that he didn't care of what she thought and that meant he didn't care what he'd do to anyone in the vicinity. Kurapika automatically released an offensive amount of aura at that.

Illumi did the same and, after a second of paralyzing shock, Gon followed her instincts and partially mimicked them.

_So what Killua warned her about was true?_, she thought, a familiar feeling of alarm passing through her veins. **If so, then—**

"W-Why are you here right now, Illumi?"

Illumi stared at her for a while, and she increased her aura in an attempt to get him speaking. Illumi was impressed, actually, the girl had grown. He knew she would be troublesome, she proved that before, but now she proved that she'd be more of a threat. His father made a lethal mistake of sending her to her father.

"Killua told me to stay away!" She said, remembering the memory in the clearing with bitterness she wasn't used to feeling. Her pitch a little higher than usual, and Illumi gave her a knowing stare—as he watched the whole thing, just before sending Killua that warning attack.

"For everyone's sake, perhaps it's time you seriously think of listening to him."

There was a big lump on Gon's throat that rendered her unable to speak for many moments. She tried to picture what Killua's family could do to them. They weren't very clear images, but she felt scared regardless. Somehow she could feel she was missing something here—the anxiety she was supposed to be feeling, probably roused by the lack of memory of what these people could do.

"I…" She paused, taking in enough oxygen to be audible. "…plan on doing that."

"I know you, Gon." Illumi responded almost immediately in his trademark monotone voice. "You are a naïve and stubborn girl."

"I won't!" She said. "Just don't hurt them." Gon croaked. "Please."

And once more, a heavy tension-filled silence occupied the hill, and for a moment Illumi looked as if he was considering her request. Kurapika took the moment to materialize his chains, to be better prepared. But what he said next made Kurapika freeze.

"What if I tell you I was sent here to **kill** Mito?"

"**You're what**?!" Gon yelled, and then she recalled every one of Killua's warnings— word for word, expression by expression—all of which she had been so stubborn about truly listening to.

"Is she—Oh my goodness." But the fresh and shocking image of her aunt and her grandma and their other friends lifeless—she never pictured it until now, perhaps believing it wouldn't ever happen—was something that she wouldn't be able to erase from her head.

Her insides dropped so hard that she had no idea how she could still be standing.

A burst of aura escaped Gon and for a moment the two gaped in awe at the intensity and beauty of it. But Kurapika felt the coldness of his chain and he quickly pulled himself together.

They were too close to the house. This was too intense for the two women to witness. He extended his arm released his chain to the direction of the house and felt two heartbeats.

One was steady, or at least forcing itself so, albeit it was obviously strained. The other—

"They're both fine, Gon!" Kurapika said firmly, concentrating his chain and felt the two's life forces. Another complication had emerged and it would become even more complicated if these two found out right now. "Please Gon, don't let those two see us like this."

Gon's perturbation calmed down a little at his words, but she did not diminish the aura she just let out. Illumi lifted his needles, perhaps defensively, and the mere action made Gon freeze.

"I will make sure she will not go against your deal." Kurapika said, sternly, trying to avoid looking at the house. "Those two are important to Gon—as you may already know. She will not risk them, especially not when you're so close.

"Just don't bring them into this again."

The silence was so strenuous then. It was heavy enough to make the weakest heart faint.

"Very well." Illumi said to break it, perhaps a little too easily.

"For your sake, do not fail."

.

"Before I go..." Illumi said, just before turning around. "I'd like to inform you he's already engaged to someone who suits him."

Kurapika and Gon weren't able to say anything in response, and Illumi seemed to have taken it as a sign for him to leave.

"In any case..." He said, turning around and for an instant—so quickly only the quickest and alert eyes would've been able to see—he looked at the direction of the house. Kurapika knew why and thought that Illumi wore an even harder façade than usual. Until that moment, he didn't think it was possible.

"Tell Mito I bid my goodbyes."

**…**

Both of them caught their breaths before going inside the house. But the moment they stepped inside the house their feet stopped moving, like suddenly there was hard glue by the door's threshold that kept them from moving.

Mito's figure was dark and in a protective fetal position on a corner by the door. Grandma was patting her back with her eyebrows so furrowed and her eyes with intensity that had been alien on the oldest woman's face… until now.

Gon immediately ran to Mito while Kurapika saw in his mind eye what she was doing there, even when he already sensed them there early on. She had heard the commotion—and judging by the face of shock and terror on her face, she heard _everything _that Illumi said.

As he expected, there was no need to pass down what Illumi asked them to say. Although Kurapika truly wished that wasn't the case.

Mito remained crouched, her face hidden by her shaking palms, and she was trying her best to be quiet. However, everything about her situation—her wild shaking, the struggling breaths, the wild heartbeat—were enough to make everyone around her panic.

"Calm down, Mito-san…" Gon whispered vehemently, holding her arm. "_Please._"

"H-How can I?" She squeaked. "He—Illumi—"

She wasn't able to utter anything else and just buried her head deeper to herself and they knew she had yet to suffer a greater pain. They wanted to be mad at Illumi, but right now Mito occupied their heads.

"If you don't you could have a miscarriage, Mito-san." Gon said, as calmly as she could, meeting Kurapika's eyes. He saw that even Gon was tearing up and thought that had he been given slightly more sensitive tear glands, Kurapika thought he probably would be in the same predicament.

"Do you want that to happen?"

Fortunately, her sobs went down a little at Gon's words. But the tears kept flowing—the heel of her palm the only thing trying to stop the flow. None of them had any idea how to comfort her.

So, they just stayed with her until she cried herself to sleep.

…

Gon never took her eyes off Mito: from her curled figure on the floor to when Kurapika took her form and carried her to her room, and all to way to the moment she finally laid down her bed and looking opposite to what she had been feeling.

They had already sent grandma to rest, who had to agree reluctantly, because an old soul could only take so much disappointment and despair in one day—especially after living so many decades in peace. And after wiping the tears off Mito's face, Gon—who was then sitting on the side of her bed—turned her head to Kurapika. "You should go get some rest as well, Kurapika." She said, so _quietly._ "I can stay here by myself."

"But do you wish to be alone right now?"

She smiled at him sadly.

They both knew the answer to that.

**…**

Kurapika walked around the forest to clear his mind, knowing well that Gon was unsure whether or not she wanted to be alone. He understood that. She wanted to be able to brood without worrying anyone, but Gon was also the type of person who loved people and their company.

He decided to return to Mito's room a little later to check up on the two women. It was almost midnight when he returned.

Gon was sitting on the window's sill, form uncharacteristically stiff, and one of her temples against its jamb. "This was my fault you know."

He sighed and sat beside her, thankful the sill could hold them both and was big enough for the both of them. Somehow he wasn't surprised she ended up in that conclusion after all that time.

"You know that isn't true." He said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to let her head rest on his.

"You should go to sleep now." "I'll even read you a story." He even added jokingly, trying to make her feel a little better. He half-hoped she'd agree though. Was he a bad person for taking advantage of this situation to create little moments with her?

She gave him a weak smile in response.

"Thank you, Kurapika." She said but the tone meant to say a polite refusal. Kurapika only smiled in response, the forgiving sort, and he only tightened his hold of her. His head moving it his chin would rest over her head. It was comforting for him. He hoped he was giving her the same relief.

"What else is on your mind?"

"It would've been easier if I can be mad at him with all my heart." He blinked at this, stirring from position slightly.

"Aren't you?"

"Everyone warned me off." "I pushed on." "He might've harmed a few friends already." She enumerated. "And now the people I love are being threatened by him. But…

"Didn't you think he left too easily?" She whispered, her voice oozing with doubt. "I don't think I'll be able to forgive him for all he's done, no matter what it was for, but—

"At first I really thought he'd do it—" She said, turning her head to face him. They were even closer again, all of a sudden. "I didn't get that feeling often. Especially after knowing what he did to me." "That's why, I thought…" She turned her head to look at Mito.

This time, Kurapika did not disagree. He was even a little relieved he wasn't alone in his thoughts that felt so blasphemous to say out loud. He released his hold of her shoulders then but the distance between them didn't increase.

"Tragic, isn't it?" He whispered.

And he meant that in so many ways.

**…**

He walked her to her room's door. It felt like hours, the time they spent walking. And he couldn't believe that it was still her birthday. He wanted to ask about Killua—considering he knew Killua, at least before Illumi's reappearance, would've been the best gift for Gon—but he kept his mouth shut. She didn't need this now. Right now he'd just be there.

"Must be sad." She said somewhere along the way, and she looked as if she didn't mean to say it out loud. "To be betrayed by someone you love."

He wondered if she, too, felt betrayed, whether or not she was conscious of it. But whichever it was, his mouth uncharacteristically revealed a deep-lying thought he had been harbouring for a long time.

"I would never betray you Gon."

She stiffened a little before whipping her head to look at him, probably trying to decipher where the statement came from and what it meant. But looking at her rich golden orbs he could see it: his words made something _snap_ inside her. And she probably didn't even know it.

At the back of his head he could see his hand moving to touch her neck—

He didn't know what it was nor what it meant but it was more than enough, it seemed, for him to do what he had always, _always,_ wanted to do:

To kiss her.

At the ripe age of twenty two, he had never kissed anyone. It had been too intimate an act to do with anybody he didn't seem fit. He had, however, imagined it countless times—but _this_ was beyond pleasurable.

It was electrifying.

As he felt her lips against his—so soft and so warm—he could tell a part of him couldn't believe this was happening. The other part didn't think it _was_ happening: that this was another part of his pitiful imagination. But it was happening, all the sensations that couldn't be felt with mere visualization proved it.

_Ah_, he thought sardonically. **Mito was right.**

_His heart _did_ make that traitorous blow, after all. _

When she didn't move from the initial touch—perhaps due to shock, or perhaps (hopefully) that something else—he changed the angle of his head.

And he realized she was kissing him _back_.

But as he planted soft chaste kisses, she was becoming less responsive, frozen even, and the grip she had on his shoulders softened and he pushed him away.

It was a gentle push, but it still felt as if he was hit in the gut by bricks.

"I can't…"

Killua was still in her mind, he snapped at himself—ears ringing to the point of deafness—even when she couldn't really remember him.

_Cruel_

**He **was cruel.

Perhaps it was something that had to happen—this rejection, to him particularly. She certainly didn't deserve any additional complications in her life, but he did so anyway. Kissing her had been impulsive, selfish, and wasn't _like him at all_.

She stared at him, imploring him to say something. She was forcing herself to look at him, he knew well how hard it was—_he_ was personally experiencing it at the moment.

Still, after a long moment of frozen silence, he managed a shy smile and shook his head. "You don't have anything to apologize about." He said, surprised he sounded so much calmer than he felt, and touched her cheek and silently thanked her for not wincing away.

He leaned down to kiss her cheeks—a platonic kiss, but no less loving. "Good night Gon." He said, before turning away to give her space.

As he walked away, he could feel her eyes following his form and he found himself wondering what she was thinking.

Kurapika didn't apologize _not_ because he thought what he did was right. It was because as selfish as it was he thought that _he_—after him pining for her for so long—deserved to cause even a_ little _perturbation in her mind?

_At least she'd be thinking of me tonight_, he said to himself, looking at himself in a disapproving sort of light, mixed with vindictive satisfaction.

He had _at least_ that to keep him sane for the night.

He'd deal with the consequences later.

.

**.**

**END OF CHAPTER 12**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 13: Nostalgia x Reappearance x Trade  
**Opportunities presented themselves, some are acted upon while some are ignored.  
Now it is time to finally choose a path to take.

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS**

**Suntan140 – **Oh she will, no worries~ xD I'll have to do some other things first though (i.e. make him get over his trauma). Anyway, thank you for commenting! :D

**Yuki Candy Heart –** Let us chant together. Don't do it, Illumi. xD DON'T FRIGGIN DO IT. Anyway, hope what I decided on doing is fine~Thx for commenting~ xD

**Guest [Set 09 2014] – **If it'll help I can say the kiss a few chapters back is pretty much the closest they'll be. xD Sorry for scaring you! Haha. Thank you for commenting, btw~

**Slytherin Studios –** Thank you for reviewing~! xD And that question is answered in this chap. Hehe. I hope I didn't disappoint. :D

**Pri-Chan 1410 – **awww glad you loved the chapter. Thank you for reviewing and here's the next chapter! Hahaha. Hope it was entertaining enough lol.

**LittleChomper** – Lol. Dream on Nerys. Haha. Well, my take on the whole Illumi x Baby thing will be shown in this chap. Haha. Don't kill me. xD And most importantly, thank you for reviewing~

**Digilover23** – Aww *brofist* so glad I managed to cheer you up! And yes, the reunion thing is coming soon (you know, in relation to my update rate lol). And YES. Illumi's undergoing karma atm hehe, good for him. xD Thx for reviewing btw~!

**Lexzly –** Hahaha. You're not alone. One of the fun parts of writing Nerys is when I make her suffer (which is every time lol). And yep~ Alluka actually has a pretty big role here. *wink* Thanks for reviewing! :D

**Phoenix-Thunder –** IKR. I just hope I give Nerys an even better role someday… hahaha. And it's not_ short_, you just write supremely long chapters! Haha. I just hope what I did with the Illumi thing in this chap didn't disappoint! Thank you for reviewinG~! :D

**XHunterzX **– Hahah glad you found the goody pair (KuraGon) moment cute then! And lol, if it eases your mind Nerys really doesn't stand a chance. xD Thank you for reviewing ! :D

**Trizsh15 – **Yeah, Silva. But *whispers* notice how he's just watching Illumi's reactions *whispers* Anyway, Illumi shall suffer. Hail Karma! xDD And cool! You read my fem!Ryoma fics also. Aww that's sweet. :D Oh, and finally, thank you for reviewing! Lol. I'm so looking forward to that hint of yours. Hihi

**Sierra. Steinbrecher –** Thank you for reviewing~ xD And yep, don't worry! I value my life enough not to make Killua and Nerys closer than they already are. Plus Nerys just doesn't stand a chance. *wink*

**Guest [ Sept 09 2014] – (ch1**) Thank you for reviewing! And yep, I try to update weekly—depends on you readers of mine primarily. I'm so glad you like my writing! I'll try to keep it up. xD

**XKilluaX –** IKR. Darn you school! Me too, if I hadn't outlined the story already I probably would take a month to update. xD Thanks for reviewing and glad you still love my stories~ :D

**chiharuSAICHI – **hahah glad you're enjoying the whole Illumi karma thing as much as I do. xD Here's the next chap! Hope you enjoyed and oh, Thx for commenting~

**Multicolored Lotus **–Well, at least you're here now, ne? xD And I hope what I did with Illumi's situation didn't disappoint~! Lol Thank you for reviewing~

**Aeva elementia –** Yes, yes there will be clashes. No one important will die tho hahah. Glad you empathize with Nerys btw, and thank you for reviewing~

**Dolce-tasie **– Thank you for reviewing! Haha. I hope the events I chose to do was fine enough lol. Glad you thought the chap was cool btw! I'll do my best to continue. :D

**CursedXQueenXDoll** – Yay glad you loved it! And I'm glad you checked. xD Lol. Anwyays, if it'll make you feel better, Nerys really doesn't stand a chance. Haha. Thank you for reviewing btw~

**Bluelup28 **– Ahaha well this chap answered you Illumi question! xD Hope it didn't disappoint, but do tell me what you thought. xD And Thank you for reviewing! :D

**drawingRAMPAGE x 3 – **Yep. I can only go this fast because you angels are so awesome. xD And good thinking! I'm sure you can go through anything with that mindset. ;) Now for the next two reviews. I already told you how much I appreciate you reviewing long, reactive, and adorable ones despite using mobile, right? haha. I'll say it again. Thank you for reviewing~ xDD And btw, don't worry about Nerys. She stands no chance. xD And advanced HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D

**mytiaaa –** N'aw don't be sad because this chapter—oh wait did I just spoil you? Lol. Anyway, I hope this chapter was entertaining enough, despite the angst lol. Thx for the review!

**Miu Di Nuvola –** Oh lol. Yes, let us chant together! Illumi don't do it damnit! xD Did it go through? Lol. I hope what I decided on this chap didn't disappoint~

**Duskofdawns – **Ohh I'm interested in how things would've panned out if those things happened. Hmn…Anyway, glad you actually like Nerys~! Ahaha *brofist* Anyway, thank you for reviewing! And I must see that fanart! xD

**Guest [Sept 10 2014] a.k.a. Ringo** – Well then, glad she's playing her role well~! I won't say anything else tho cuz' I might spoil. Hehe. Thank you for reviewing! ;)

**TECKK –** Ah~ I understand your sentiments. But alas! I must get Killua to overcome his traumas first. _That_ will come soon, I swear. xD And thank you for reviewing, and glad you liked the chapter! :D

**Grapes –** Thank you for reviewing! Haha. Relieved to know you liked the suspence xD And here's the next chap! Hope it was entertaining enough~! :D

**Darlingfedz - ** Thank you for reviewing! Soo glad you liked it!And don't worry. Nerys doesn't have a chance. xD About the bday tho... don't expect too much! And since they didn't celebrate bdays in canon… I assumed they just don't so… hehe

**NariGray **– haha yay! And yep, I will keep going. xD So excited how it'll turn out, too!. Anyway glad you liked the chapter and thank you for reviewing~!

**Jonica77 **– haha I like that expression. 'Illumi is in hot soup!' indeed he is. xD Anyway, hope this chapter didn't disappoint and thx for reviewing! :D

**KG-Ai – **Awww you mean the poem you posted on facebook? It's adorable. :D And lol, don't worry! Killua will be able to resist, indeed! Hahaha. Anyway, thank yoouu for reviewing and Tokiko-chan and you are super cute. xD

**Guest [sept 11 2014] – (ch2)** lololol IKR. Ging will show up eventually. Not so soon tho. **(ch11) **Ah, the Ging and Agathat ship. It will sail in the far future. Hahah. As of now tho… I shall focus on the kids. Thanks for the reviews, btw! :D

**FattyKitty – **Don't worry, even _I_ won't kill Mito. Hope what I decided to do doesn't disappoint tho, esp. since I have my doubts, but do tell me whatever you thought. Thank you for commenting, by the way~!

**Tochiome-chan** – Lololol IKR. When it's the other girl being persistent is super annoying. It's a trait charming only for heroines. Haha. And Thank you for commenting!

**Jennosaur **– lololol. Glad you liked the cliffy then! (You did, right? Lol) Anyway, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint but do tell me what you thought. Thx for reviewing~

**Queen of the Avast Seas** – Gon and Killua already kissed! Gon wasn't aware of it but still. Hahaha. Anyway, don't worry about Nerys and Illumi. Hihi. And thank you for commenting! :DD

**Bearsofalthain – (Ch10) **lolol it's a good thing you didn't! haha and yay! Glad you liked the filler. xDD **(ch11) **IKR. I'll try to make the whole 'figuring out' thing decent and believable enough but I can't guarantee anything. Haha. Oh, and thank you for the reviews~! *brofist*

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…

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
And please do me a favour of telling me what you thought of this chappy! Hihi**


	13. Nostalgia x Reappearance x Trade

**GUYS. We're almost there! xD Sorry I'm taking forever to get them reunited. I just didn't see them all friendly with all the problems surrounding them. First, we must try to get Killua get over his lil' trauma... next chapter. Lol**

**WARNING: **If you're expecting some Illumi/Mito drama… you'll be disappointed. xD

**A/N: **In Two Rivers: Beginning (particularly ch 26) I hinted something. I'll show it explicitly this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

**…**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13: Nostalgia x Reappearance x Trade**

Five years ago, only a handful of people were aware of the existence of the Dark Continent. They were in a state of 'blissful ignorance', one could say. A lot of people preferred to call the years where they were, ironically, 'in the dark'… especially with what the events being connected to the continent brought to millions.

But when the problems had been solved (or techniques to avoid them developed), thanks to the Hunter Association, rich new knowledge in the Sciences and other fields exploded. If he didn't have the responsibilities in the mainland, he would have gone there himself.

_It was interesting and perturbing how he was seeing it as an analogy to his current predicament…_

Would Gon be better off under a similar veil? He thought. _Even if it _was_ from his feelings? _

Or would it better for him never to know?

Kurapika allowed himself to have these various disturbingly unyielding thoughts as he lay still on his bed, facing the wooden ceiling, and staring at the visible rafters that supported the house's stone roof.

For a while—or rather, a recurring thought the past few years—he hoped that when the time came where he'd kiss her, and if she was to refuse him, that he'd be able to move on. But, as the sleepless night proved, that simply _wasn't_ the case.

His face heated every time he caught a glimpse of the events, and he found himself curious—_imagining_, even—what it would've felt like if Gon didn't push him away.

He sat up then, accepting the fact that he probably wasn't going to get sleep that day (or the days that followed). He decided to check up on her, standing simultaneously with the thought. He didn't even bother to change out of his white button-up and his dark-colored slacks.

A part of him hoped she was sleeping soundly, but another hoped she was having the same problems he was having. It was selfish. He would make a horrible lover, he mused, as love was supposed to be a selfless act.

_Like what Killua had been doing._

His feet began adapting a faster, more desperate, pace at the thought. He arrived at her door without even realizing it.

Gingerly, he twisted the door knob and peeked through the small and shy opening that he made. He blinked when he saw her made bed. She wasn't there.

And after searching almost the whole house, he went to Mito's room. He didn't want to, knowing what she had just been through but when the door opened revealing a very awake Mito—he reluctantly went to ask her if she knew anything, anyway.

She smiled at him and, even with this family's apparent incapability to brood for too long a time, he thought Mito was putting up too much of a mask. Still, he didn't say anything and when she said Gon was likely to be fishing, his shoulder slumped a little in relief, and told Mito he'd be following her.

After half-an-hour or so of sprinting, Kurapika arrived just in time to see the rod break. "Mou! The third one! I thought for sure this one could handle it." And puffed her cheeks. "That fish must've gotten bigger."

Gon huffed and checked on the basket of fish she already caught—half of which were half her size—seemingly too deep into fishing to notice his barely-masked presence. But he knew it was because she was too deep into _thought_.

He stepped closer with fixing things between them as his objective. Perhaps he could take advantage of her usually-painful denseness this time… but at the same time wondering what it would feel like if she finally understood his feelings instead.

Still, they were best friends. Non-platonic feelings only complicated things. So he ought for the former. Uncomplicated seemed to fare so much better to Gon, anyway. It was the least he could do.

Kurapika cleared his throat and raised his hand, in a way a gauche person would. She stared at him, a little startled, and sent him a shy smile. "Hey."

"…hey."

"Where's your old rod?" He asked, absent-mindedly scratching the back of his neck.

"I lost it five years ago." She said, a hint of longing in her eyes, but all he thought was that it was probably the day they lost her for years.

She sat down in front of her basket and by the water. He sat beside her, but allowed a few feet between them. Both of them were suddenly very conscious of personal space. He tilted his head up to see the beautiful skies, before shifting his gaze to the basket behind her, trying to start a conversation. "That's a lot of fish." He said and she nodded.

"Mito-san needs to eat a lot." She said. "Especially now that she's so stressed out."

_Stressed out,_ Kurapika mentally repeated. Gon was too, and he certainly added to that. He gulped and closed the distance between them. It was not easy to do so, it was like breaking a thick bubble, but it needed to be done. He couldn't deal with that distance between them.

When his clan died, his purpose became revenge. But then he met Gon, Leorio, and Killua—and they filled that hole that was once occupied by his family. Senritsu, Bansho, even Neon eventually added to that. They were his family now. He really should start acting like one.

"I'm sorry for acting so impulsively." He said out-of-the blue, catching her full attention. "You don't have to worry about that.

"You know I can't settle with an awkward air between us."

She nodded, but this time her eyes were a little brighter than it was a minute ago. "Me neither." Then she looked down and grabbed her skirt. He looked at her and saw her cheeks becoming redder. At least she really saw him as a man now. But he wondered if this consciousness of him was worth this psychological distance between them.

"But, Kurapika… when _do_ you act impulsively?"

He blinked at that and wondered if she was part-asking whether or not he kissed friends when the person's stressed. "I never kissed anyone, if that's what you're asking."

"Me neith—" She stopped, probably when she realized that wasn't true. But judging by her expression she didn't remember any prior kisses. She'd be able to connect the dots soon, he knew, and he wanted to lift the still-heavy air between them before that happened.

Still, the kiss—it was something he'd want _both_ of them to remember fondly. "So… out of curiosity." He said, leaning close to show her they could be close again without flinching away. "Was I _that_ bad of a kisser?"

She blushed even more furiously. At least she could make her blush like that now. Killua had always seen her even prettier than usual back then, he wished he had the right to continue doing so. "It wasn't that, you were gr—" She cleared her throat. "It's just… uhm…"

He chuckled, partly out of genuine amusement and partly to hide that little twinge in his chest. He should stop teasing her, especially when he knew well why she was so confused. But when he turned to look back at her he saw that the twinkle in her eyes disappeared completely. She was looking away with a serious expression on her face, and…

He realized she was no longer so oblivious after all.

Silence filled the air then and he knew passing the kiss off as some sort of nonchalant act would be impossible now. "I guess we can't pretend it never happened now, huh?"

She didn't answer, but her tense form told him she agreed.

"It should be pretty obvious how I see you."

Once again, she didn't do any sort of vocal reaction. She only nodded and, after much reluctance, lifted her head up to looking at him. "…how long?"

"Six years."

There was something liberating about telling her these things. Like he just put down something that weighted tons…, something that he had been carrying for years.

He didn't take his eyes off her the whole time, and he knew that the reason he felt liberated was because the silent pain _he_ had been holding because of her now transferred to _her_.

So far, his feelings brought her nothing but trouble.

He turned his body to face her then, and she reflexively turned her head to look at him. Her reluctance to do so showed, but Gon was simply too kind and brave that way. "I'm sorry for suddenly burdening you with my feelings." He said, willing his eyes to look at her golden ones and once they met—he realized he didn't want to look away, despite all the nerves wrecking havoc in his senses. "But I have no regrets."

"I—" She looked down. "I'm…" Then she closed her eyes and pulled her head up so she could look back at him. He couldn't help but flinch under her stare. It wasn't like the others—soft, and familialy loving. It was acknowledgement.

"I will treasure your feelings." She said, with firmness he didn't expect in an obvious refusal. "But I don't think I can return them. I'm sorry."

He didn't bother hiding the pained expression on his face. (What was he to hide at that point anyway?)

So when he saw her wince in guilt, the childish—more desperate, perhaps—side of him decided to take advantage. He no longer had anything to lose. The innocence she had of his feelings were gone.

If he didn't want to lose her—there was nowhere else to go but **forward**.

He knew this was foolish, stupid, and even downright _suicidal_—but, really, how could he manage to _care_? "Did you try?"

Her eyes widened slightly. She saw him as a man now, he _knew_ this, and the only thing keeping them apart was her unconscious loyalty to Killua—who, by the way, was already together with someone else. Of course Kurapika knew Killua likely didn't have a choice, but what use was that now?

Killua would never be with Gon, he'd never be able to make her happy again—not when everyone they loved were at risk.

Kurapika didn't want Gon to arrive at that point: wherein she'd be forced to make that big choice.

"Did you feel nothing when we kissed?"

"That's impossible!" She exclaimed, pushing her basket away by reflex so she'd face him. "That can't—" "But that doesn't mean that I—_Mou._"

She covered her face with her palms, embarrassed and confused and Kurapika felt a little culpable for making her feel like so. But that other part of him was glad it was _him_ who was causing it, not someone she could never be with.

He moved his arms to touch the back of her hands, gingerly placing fingers to the void between her palm and her face, and held both her hands with his. She looked at him nervously, partly knowing where this was all going, and partly in denial that it _was_ going to happen.

He let go of her hands, both of which found their way back to her lap—much like _putties—_and her eyes never left his. He didn't know what she was looking for, but he was willing to show anything she wished to see.

And he did.

And it made her tear up. Whether he touched her heart or made her feel guilty he couldn't really think of that at the moment.

All he thought was that he didn't need a further invitation than that. He lifted his body and used his knee to support his weight. And this time she didn't push him away.

As his lips pressed against hers, angles constantly change as if the proximity lessen each time. He realized that it _did_, and every time their lips met new sensations surge through and her presence was becoming more and more solid.

He didn't know how but he was already sitting so close to Gon, then, their legs too were already kissing themselves.

His hand found its way on her neck—caressing it, unconsciously—and somewhere along the way she pulled herself away from him to give out a small moan. The urges only Gon could rouse emerged and too soon he was kissing her again.

She began to stiffen at the sudden force and he pulled himself away, but let his forehead rest against hers. _"Relax, Gon." _He whispered and he felt that she did.

By carnal instincts—_without thinking—_he licked her lips, enticing a gasp, and he took the chance to deepen their kiss… kissing her like an experienced lover that he _wasn't_.

It didn't last long however, as she separated from him with a strong huffing gasp… and he realized neither of them could breathe. _It was too intimate._

He placed both his hands at both sides of her head, the part where her head connected with her neck and felt her warmth. He didn't do anything else. If it was to allow both of them to breathe, so he wouldn't shock Gon, or to keep himself sane… he wasn't quite sure yet.

He found himself eyeing every inch of her face and wondered how intimate she had probably been with Killua. He didn't need to note the surge the mix of resentment and guilt that was engulfing him at the moment—it was probably visible in every single thing he showed.

As he felt her hot breath warm his skin, he looked at her, face adorned by a beautiful shade of red, eyes wide as ever, but her pupils weren't dilated.

Then, he stiffened.

As her hands found his, the ones still on her warm neck, it felt as if her eyes were seeking out _his_ in an attempt to meet them, as if she hadn't already. But he knew that was really the case because he truly wanted to look away.

She opened her mouth to speak but he didn't want to hear what she was about to say. He wanted to walk away then and there, as far as he could be from earshot, to save himself.

Yet he stayed and listened.

"Kurapika…" She began, gently taking his hands off her but didn't quite let go. "We should stop."

"No use forcing something that isn't there?"

She didn't answer that because he knew that wasn't the case. Her feelings for Killua was simply too much. And even when she lacked her memories of Killua he was _still_ no match for him.

In spite of that all-too familiar tinge in his chest, he ended up giving a light-hearted chuckle. "It looks like it will be unavoidably awkward between us for a while." He said with a rueful smile. "But…

"I want us to remain friends." Gon supplied, casually leaning back to put in a little more physical distance between them.

Gon busied herself with the basket that was turned over during their… activities, while Kurapika steeled himself to watch. It was shameless of him, to stare at her like this, to still have the guts to memorize the way she moved, all the curves he could see…, her _smell_.

And then he reminded himself of the thought the urged him to pretend the last night's kiss never happened. Gon was family. He should act like one. "You had a lover before, you know." He said, trying to sound composed (he succeeded. He was too used to this by now). "You probably kissed before, which was why you can tell a difference."

Gon blinked and robotically turned her head to him. It took her a while to absorb what he just said. "E-_Eh_?" "What—"

"You forgot about him."

Her eyes widened. "K-Killua?" Her heart was racing, he could tell, as if she knew his claims were true. Her brain made no effort in denying it, but it didn't rouse any memories of its truth either.

She was silent for a long while after that. She even resumed fishing, and he watched her patiently like he always did. He already accepted the awkwardness between them now. It was painful, but it showcased what they had already been through.

For now, that was enough.

"So what are you planning to do now that you know that?"

"What _can_ I do?" She said, voice cracking as she willed her eyes to focus on the end of the fishing line. "In retrospect, one of the things I wanted to accomplish going home was to find out more about Killua." "But now I do—and I also know why things turned out the way they did."

"What do you want?"

"I want to see him."

"And…?"

"I want to rescue him."

_That's just like her._ He gave her a genuine smile. It didn't matter how sad it was. "I'll help you."

Gon gaped at him then, and once again her eyes collected tears. He only patted her head then, wary of further contact, before standing up. "Right now all we could do is to gather Intel on how to save him—and the others—this time.

"Don't lose hope, Gon." He said, stroking her head in a familial way. "We _will_ get him back."

**…**

They returned to the house and ate their breakfast, chatting about topics that strayed as far away from the topics they didn't want to discuss. Mito was acting bubbly, normal, but her smiles no longer reached her eyes. Kurapika and Gon looked at each other worriedly, but then recalling events that occured just a short time prior, ended up looking embarrassedly at different directions instead.

It was then that Kurapika's phone rang, and he opened it to see the caller ID. _Leorio._ With a small smile, he clicked the answer button and immediately passed the phone to Gon.

"Eh?" Gon asked confusedly before cautiously putting the piece in her ears. "H-Hello?"

"G-GON!? Oh my goodness—GON!" He yelled so loudly that her ears rang several pitches.

"Leorio!" She yelled back, and forgot the ringing in her ears (and their yells rung at everybody else's). "H-How are you!?I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

Kurapika could only laugh at his two energetic friend's interaction. In his mind's eye, a picture of an older Killua was laughing with the—like old times, and more heartstrings were plucked.

The two chatted about random things for an hour, but no one noticed, not even the audience like Kurapika and, he suspected, Senritsu, Neon, and Basho too.

Eventually he got his phone back and Leorio was practically breathless for speaking so loudly, so quickly, and at a pace normal people wouldn't be able to follow. He seemed to have a deal to fix in York Shin, and he was reminded of his responsibilities in the Mafia world. In contrast to how he'd normally thought, today he was relieved for the distraction.

"You're going?" Mito asked and he nodded, eyes shifting to find Gon's. Unfortunately, his eyes moved away by reflex again and went back to Mito and her mother.

"You'll be fine Mito-san?"

Mito crossed her arms and mocked a scowl. "What kind of woman do you think I am?"

He only smiled. And of course everyone knew she was wearing a mask. The fact that the usually perceptive women didn't notice the tension between him and Gon meant that there was simply too much in their heads… or they kept it blank to keep themselves from crying. Either way, they'd need a lot of time alone.

But they were Freecs. So he ought not to worry. It would've been very rude of him.

"It was foolish of me to ask." He said with a smile, before looking at the air an inch away from Gon's face, pretending to look at her.

"I still have a lot of things to do." He said, "But I will do my best to somehow help you and Killua."

"I know you will." She said warmly and he wondered if he was looking an inch away from him, too. In any case, he hoped some time apart could fix this tension. And with their friendship, he was inclined to believe that it would.

Eventually.

And then before he knew it, her arms were wrapped around him. "No matter what happens, Kurapika is important to me." She was stiff and he knew she was forcing herself. He wrapped his arms around her, reassuring, and he buried his head on her shoulders again, memorizing her scent and the shape of this particular curve one more time.

"I know." He said. "That's why I will never leave you," He smiled. "In spirit, anyway."

And—as awkward and psychologically painful it was—they grinned.

**…**

ZOLDYCK ESTATE  
_Killua Zoldyck_

Killua was dreaming of Gon playing and laughing with him when he was rudely awoken by one of Milluki's alarm flies—a fly that landed on people and sent several watts of electricity to wake them up. It rarely was needed, and he must have been too sound asleep.

"If you were sleeping outside the estate, you might as well be dead." A voice from the shadows said as he sat up. He sent his brother a glare.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"New mission." Milluki said, shrugging, but face sour from distaste. "Dad sent us both." Killua raised an eyebrow at that, Milluki crossed his arms. "It's true!"

Killua looked at his brother warily, before sighing in defeat, and standing up from his king-sized bed. It took them both only a couple of minutes to get ready and went on the family airship.

"So…are you _finally_ going to accept your fate?" Milluki said somewhere along the way (the talkative bastard). "You'll be wed to that Bloodsworth girl you know, whatever happens." "Other than the annoying character of hers which is kind of an inherent character of being a _female_…, she isn't bad at all for you, anyway."

There were moments he had been tempted, truly, because Killua was not a masochist—he did not enjoy this pain, a pain that only got stronger every single day the past five years.

But why would he go after (or even be 'okay') with something just because it was _something_ when he already experienced what was 'good'—_perfect,_ even?

Then he frowned at the thought that followed. _Because the said 'good' would be eradicated if he was selfish again_, that's what.

"Oi, Killua."

So, he only continued on sprinting to the estate's airport, and refused to speak afterwards.

**…**

Kurapika arrived in York Shin a day or so later by blimp, he went straight to the penthouse Junjo Zakuya—a prominent figure in the underworld ever since the voyage to the Dark Continent became successful. It was located in the middle of the city's upper district.

He was personally escorted by a female assistant with obvious foreign descent, along with a few armed men. He could tell by the way they acted that they weren't there to keep him in leash, at least primarily, they were there to make him feel important.

The elevator door slid and they passed through a number of doors, three to be exact, every one sliding and all requiring various levels of identification. First by ID, then by fingerprint, and finally by the pattern in the pupil, each complemented by voice recognition.

Kurapika moved through them, following his escorts, looking stoic and unimpressed. Really, after what happened during his time in the Zodiac Twelve, nothing could surprise him anymore. At least so long as it didn't have anything to do with his friends or the Kurutas.

There were a few scans along the way, all of them for weapons. He dematerialized his chain to save himself trouble.

He soon arrived at the hall. It was furnished modernly, with a large mezzanine at the side, and a minimalistically designed chandelier in the middle. But what caught his attention were the nine men inside the room, most of them were middle aged, a few older ones, and fewer only a little older than him. Some were sitting, some standing, all had authoritative auras around them.

They all stared at him, some apathetic and some arrogant, disbelieving even, as if they found it foolish he was in the same room as them. Kurapika sighed at this. "I assume this doesn't have anything to do with a deal with the Nostrades."

"I'm sorry for luring you in here using that." Junjo said, combing his dark purple hair back. "But knowing you, you'd likely ignore my invitation if I word it bluntly."

"So… what do you want?" Kurapika asked stoically, silently assessing everyone else in the room. Their auras were clean. All of them could use nen, and judging by their control he'd say they were all pretty strong nen users. He was reminded of the time where he was part of the team of assassins, and his blood boiled at the recollection of Silva and Zeno Zoldyck.

He managed to control himself before he revealed any of his nen, and simply gave Junjo a pointed look as he waited for his answer.

"We're forming a new generation of Dons—a much stronger and more capable one." He said, haughtily placing his elbow on his knees. "One more slot, Kurapika. You have a very impressive resume." He said. "We'd like you to fill it."

He sighed again. Did he really think he'd want to join after seeing the others? They were strong, but that wasn't enough to pull him in. "I'm not even the head."

"To yourself, perhaps." Junjo said. "But to the rest of the underworld?

He closed his eyes as if Junjo just said something idiotic. "I appreciate the offer." He said curtly. "But I would have to refuse."

"Listen Kurapika—being part of the Ten Dons would give you massive deals and wealth. Your influence—the control over a massively stronger Inju—"

"Does it look like those things matter to me, Junjo?" He asked. He was almost offended. He was a part of the Twelve, he was once friends with the Zoldyck heir, and he was a Star Hunter. There wasn't anything he could gain from this but trouble. "Now…, if you'll excuse me."

But before he could make a step away, a few bulky men already blocked his path. He heard Junjo stand behind him. "If you refuse, you and the family you serve will be enemy of the underworld."

"Are you sure you want to be _my_ enemy, then? Junjo?"

There was a pause then, but Junjo let out a scoff in the end. "Arrogant kid you are."

"You are only half a decade older."

He didn't even have to see the men in front of him move to sense they were about to attack. He moved a step away and grabbed the attacker's arm and placed a hit on his stomach using his knee. He used the man's weight and threw it on the other.

The nearest Dons sprinted to him, and he knew they were a lot more skilled than the guards. However, it didn't take him a few minutes to take down the two who dared attack him, and he stared back at the others—challenging—and he did not bother hide his crimson eyes.

He saw their eyes and it was clear he'd won. So he closed his eyes and opened them back to their default blue state, just as he swatted the invisible dirt on his clothes. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He repeated, and walked out of the building as if nothing happened.

**…**

It was a disappointing trip to say the least—the trip, but being a little optimistic at least he had time to compose himself from the events with Gon.

He meandered along the Upper side's sidewalks for a few minutes until he was in front of a high-end shop for medical supplies. Leorio immediately came to mind, and then followed by Senritsu, Neon, and Basho.

He shrugged. Maybe he'd buy them something to excuse his behaviour before he left.

A few minutes later he was carrying a box of expensive herbs for Leorio, a new music score for Senritsu, and papyrus for Basho. He left Neon's for last because he was hoping he'd think of _something_ that didn't have to do anything with fashion.

But seeing as there were clothing stores everywhere he went, he thought he might as well buy her a dress. And he did, with the help of a random sales lady who seemed to know what she was doing.

"Pariston!" A high-pitched call caught his attention. He knew that name, of course he did. "This dress is amazing! What do you think?"

And it was, indeed, _Pariston Hill_. He did not expect to see him there of all places. "That looks good on you, Mother."

.

_Mother?_

Kurapika moved a little to see who he was speaking didn't expect a girl around fifteen with long blonde ponytail and classically-designed dress.

"Bisuke Kruenger?" Kurapika voiced out. He knew her well. One of the things he and Gon did was to fill the other up with what had happened from the time they parted. Bisuke was a prominent figure in her stories, someone strong... and—his eyes widened a little at a realization—someone who _cared_.

"You are Gon and Killua's nen master?"

Bisuke looked surprised, but flattered of being recognized. "That's me!" She chirped. "How _are_ those two? Impertinent brats—not thinking of even sending me a letter."

But he didn't answer that—he didn't even hear the question—as he practically teleported in front of her and held up her hand. "What—"

"I need your help."

.  
**.  
END OF CHAPTER 13**

_**Coming Soon:  
**_**CHAPTER 14: Quietus x Mission x Prelude**  
In which Killua will go on a psychological journey.

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**REPLIES TO ANGELS **

**LittleChomper –** I promised not to bully Kura? I did? Haha. Well, technically I'm making him experience things so he can move on? Ahhaha. And thank you for the review! xDD

**Kira Okami –** Thank you for reviewing! I'm so sorry for breaking your heart, but I am glad you found the piece beautiful anyway! :D Things'll get better soon I promise. xD

**XHunterzX **– haha yay! Glad you found the ending paradoxical like that. And I will never kill Mito! I, too, don't wanna die. Haha. Anyhow, thank you for reviewing and so glad you found the chapter amazing!:D

**NariGray –** lololol. Scandalous, indeed! xD No worries, I'll fix his image soon (probably). And yep. Illumi need to take some time before anything changes. Ahaha. Thank you for reviewing btw and super glad you also liked the chap! :D

**Aeva elementia –** Thank you for reviewing! The chap was special to me so I'm glad it somehow popped above the others for you, too. And lololol IKR. The Freecs need to do a charisma class or something. Hahah. I, personally, totally need it. xD

**Slytherin Studios **– Soon! Killua and Gon will get back together… soon. Hahah. Not in this chap tho. Sorry. xD Thank you for commenting btw~ :D

**Sierra. Steinbrecher **– IKR. Sorry 'bout that but no worries~ Illumi just needs some time… to reflect? Lol. And oh~ there're a number of reasons why Kurapika didn't want a fight… i.e., what he said in the chapter, and unconsciously the fact that they're in love with Freecs. Haha. Thx for reviewing btw! ;)

**Pri-Chan 1410** – yeah I'm looking forward on writing that part. But not yet. Illumi needs time, poor guy. And about Kura… you'll see soon what I plan for him. Well, somewhat. *cackles* And finally, thank you for reviewing! xD

**KG-Ai – **Oh so this chapter it's Okira-chan!:DD Anyways, I can totally 'hear' you two having that conversation. Hahaha. I'm super glad you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for showing that to me. xD

**Dolce-tasie –** Yay! Super glad you found the chapter great and satisfying. Kurapika will have to go through something a little more here, sadly, but I guess he dealt with it. haha. Thank you for reviewing btw!

**Darlingfedz –** Awww thank you for reviewing! I'm sooo happy to have made you feel that way and LOL. You read the chap in the office!? That's so rebel of you. Haha. Here's the next chap btw! It wasn't as heavy as the previous one, but I hope you enjoy it! :D

**Jonica77 **– hahaha well then! I'm glad you found it an impactful chapter! xD And oh this chap's a tad bit lighter so I hope I help with your heart somehow. Hehe. Thank you for reviewing btw! ;D

**FattyKitty – **Yep~ The women of the Freecs family are kind that way. And lol I will! I'm not sure if it will be enough to satisfy everyone's bloodlust lol. And yep Nerys is actually the original plan, but there are several options so I can't guarantee she'll be endgame hihi. Anyway, thank you for reviewing!

**Bluelup28 –** lololol. Glad you liked the developments, despite their angst. xD And yep they'll suffer the consequences. I just hope they're enough. Haha. Thank you for reviewing btw~! :D

**Digilover23** – It will get better soon! I can see it all in my head. Hahaha. Super flattered I helped make your day better! :D And of course, thank you for reviewing~ XDD

**Pitou77 **– Yay you're back! Haha. Welcome back, and thank you for commenting~ :DD

**XKilluaX –** Thank you for reviewing~! Glad you still love it so far and yeah… I'm planning on making it better for Mito soon~

**Kaeberlily **– My goodness you guessed one of the purposes of the whole MitoIllumi thing lol. Anyway, I have other twists in mind so you better not guess those, too. Hahahha. And thank you for reviewing! I'll try my best to make it all believable. xD

**Yugao702 –** lololol om-triple-G! xD Glad you liked it~ And you were waiting for the kiss? Then also glad it didn't disappoint. Hahaha. Thank you for reviewing!

**Chosanbhir – (ch11) **It's fine~ I'm just glad you're back here with us, safe and sane from the exams. And yay! YinYang pair FTW.** (ch12)** Hahaha. Nope. Don't worry! I will not change pairs XD. I'm just gonna confuse everyone a lil'. Thanks for the reviews btw!

**TECKK – **Thank you for reviewing! :D IKR. I felt bad for doing that to Mito, but I wanted her to experience it at least once. xD And lol. Kurapika and I are the same in that department. I'll deal with the NerKillu thing very soon ,too~ :D

**Grapes –** Eh really? Whew! I thought I made Kurapika OOC over there. Lol. Glad you liked the chapter and found it wonderful. Thx for reviewing~! :DD

**CursedXQueenXDoll **– hahaha well, at least I'm inspired to update every week, right? *cackles* Forgive me? xD Thank thank you for reviewing! Haha

**Shugokage –** Thank you for reviewing! Glad you found it interesting! I'll do my best to keep it happening. xDD

**Duskofdawns –** Ahh 'slowly obsessive' is the term. I wonder how things will fare for her. Lol. And please link the fanart to me! xD be sure to put spaces as the site usually eats links. xD Thx for reviewing, btw!

**Isa20289 –** Yep of course I do! And your username's closer to your FB name now, too. xD I'm super glad you're back in here and super happy that you're really like the story so far! And of course he will~ Killua'll just need something to happen to him first lol. Thx for reviewing!

**Phoenix-Thunder** – IKR. Haha. At least Mito finally experienced this at least once in her life. Haha. And let us let Illumi suffer a little more in the dark. *cackles* And whew! Glad you didn't think Kura was ooc in that chapter. Lol.. And thanks for reviewing~

**xXxRizaHawkeyexXx –(Ch1) **lol. You're here! Welcome to the sequel! xD** (ch2) **That's the chap in the dark continent right? Man, I remember I need to start figuring that place out. Haha.** (ch3) **Well you can, yes you can strangle Nerys. xD I can allow you to since you're reacting to every chap. Lol. **(ch4) **hahah yay! I remember that chappy. One of my faves! Reunion banzaii~!** (ch8)** Hahah. Well, how the child will change things… I won't spoil. Lololol.** (ch12) **Yay! Glad you liked the Goody pair (KuraGon) thing in the chap. Hope Kura wasn't ooc, and yes of course YinYang(GonKillu) pair FTW. Thank you for the reviews!

**Teeteecee –** Hi there! Nice finally getting to speak to you. And I won't quit! Especially not when I have angels like you people to support me. xD Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like the chaps to come!

**Mona Kleine **– Thank you for reviewing! xD And yay! Glad the kiss didn't disappoint haha. (but seriously don't die tho). And IKR. Gon… Gon's getting the good guys! lol

**AsukaSaru – (ch8) **5 chapters?! You've been away for over a month! Haha. Glad to have you back~!** (ch9)**Aww~ I'm glad you found that chapter beautiful! It's an effect I really wished to do. xD** (ch10) **hahaha. Glad you liked it! lol. I found it quite fun to imagine how Kura'll take it lol. Happy it turned out ok. **(ch11) **LOL. And I won't dare get Killua fall for Nerys. I value my life too y'know. xDD **(ch12) **hahah yay! I'm super glad you liked the chapters and thank you for the incessant support~ *brohugs*

**Mytiaaa- (ch1)** lol. About Illumi I'll deal with him later. xD And the other two'll be fine, no worries~ xD Glad you're loving the story so far! And *Cackles* I like that you liked the kissing scene too. xD

**Kazumi Rin – **Proud of Kurapika? You and I both. Lol. I hope his actions in this chap did not disappoint~ xD And lololol. Mito x the 3 men? I'm experimenting! *cackles* Well, if it helps… I won't be shipping her with… Kaito… in this story. Hahaha. Anyways, thank you for reviewing~! xD

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…

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**Thank you for reading!**

**What do you think? About the story so far? And/or about this particular chapter?  
DO TELL ME! :D **


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